Slaved Savior
by hitherelovely
Summary: Even though she was the slave, Momo Hinamori realized that he was the one who was really chained. And Toshirou Hitsugaya knew that she was the only one who could set him free.
1. Slave

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 1 – **

"_Slave"_

…

_It's hard, living in the Rongonkai...especially when you were dead. There is no such thing as being "fair" there was no freedom, nothing. Society is divided into three parts. Slaves, who worked with the least possible pay or none at all. Middle class, who at least had a house and money coming in. And, the aristocrats. _

_If you were born an aristocrat, lucky for you. If you weren't, then society kicked you to the curb like a stray pup._

For Momo Hinamori, it was far, far worse.

"Momo! Quit writing in your stupid fantasy journal! We've got a full house, snap out of it and come on!" A piercing and shrill voice broke the chocolate haired girl's train of thoughts. Sighing, Momo obliged, snapping her diary shut.

"Yes, ma'am." She muttered quietly, slipping her most valuable possession, her journal, in a small pocket in her rugged, ocean blue kimono.

She was writing in a small room shared by four other girls, barely able to print out each word due to the small candle that she had been allowed to use. She figured that she was pretty lucky to be able to write, as a slave anyways so she might as well document her life experiences.

For the grandkids, right?

Hinamori Momo was an unfortunate girl, to say the least. But self-pity really didn't take up that much time, so she thought it to be pretty much useless. She worked for the _Kotei_ family, scoundrels who ran bars and brothels in the lower districts of the Rongonkai. Fortunately, she was too scrawny to be of any use in a whorehouse so she waited tables at the local bar where everybody from the ranked Shinigami to the scum of the afterlife crawled to get drunk as hell.

"Momo! Hurry _up_! Or do you want to be whipped again?"

"Sorry, Kotei-sama!"

Momo quickly snapped out of her train of thought and scrambled downstairs, almost tripping over the last step. She brushed off dust and dirt from her yukata, trying to look somewhat presentable.

Panting as she reached the kitchen, she asked, "Which table?"

"Six—Kira and his buddies are there. Actually, he requested specifically for you." replied her best friend, Rukia, giving Momo an apologetic look. If their boss hadn't been in there, Momo would have probably argued stubbornly and demanded to be put to work somewhere else.

Everybody knew and hated Kira.

All the waitresses who worked at the bar despised the man.

"Here's your tray," Rukia whispered to Momo, shoving a wooden platter and a worn notepad and a couple cups into her scrawny hands. "Now, go. Make sure Kira doesn't get…_angry_." Everybody knew about the bastard's weird mood swings. Fresh bruises on most of the girls proved that. Rukia gave her an encouraging pat on the back, and she appreciated it, but that wasn't going to stop Kira, or his hands, for that matter.

Momo sighed and nodded, holding the tray with one hand and trying to fix her hair with the other. She'd mastered the art of tying a ribbon in her hair one-handed, ages ago. It always came in handy.

Brushing her bangs from her face, Momo stepped out of the kitchen and plastered a large, fake beam on her face. Oh, that was another thing she had picked up over the years. It was probably even more useful than the hair-tying.

Stepping out of the kitchen, she winced inwardly. The noise of the packed bar hit her like a freight train. Customers were talking loudly to one another, some dressed in fine silken thread, others in rags, and all laughing at even the stupidest jokes.

Weaving around different groups of random people, she walked over to her assigned table, from which she recognized Kira's straight blonde hair, surrounded by a bunch of his rich, snobby friends. She smiled politely and asked with a cute grin and a tilt of her head, "Hello, my name is Momo. I will be your server today." Each word forced from her lips was like a different punch to her ego and she fought to keep from smacking all of them with her tray.

Immediately, Kira Izuru whipped around, his eyes glinting with unconcealed mirth. He was grinning before, but it widened almost instantly upon glancing at the brunette girl. His eyes trailed over Momo, before flashing a smirk at her. She almost grimaced in disgust, but disguised it with an exaggerated cough. "Good evening, Momo-chan." He chuckled, still looking up and down at her. It felt like angry bees were stinging her, from wherever the loathed man peered.

Momo wanted _oh_-so-badly to just throw the kettle of blisteringly hot tea on his damn smirking face. That would teach him a lesson.

Kira had been their most valuable customer, being in one of the Great Clans, anyways. But he'd stopped visiting a couple of days ago and that had been heaven for Momo, but now, the bastard was back. And what was even better? He brought even more goonies than usual.

Momo froze, stiffened and almost screamed when Kira suddenly snaked his arm around her small waist. She hated him, but forced the fake smile back on her face, after faltering for a few seconds.

"So, _gentlemen_, how can I help you today?" Momo asked through gritted teeth, digging her fingernails into her palms to keep from screaming. Kira didn't seem to notice as he pulled her closer. His merry band of freakin' _worshippers _hooted and chortled, high-fiving their head honcho obnoxiously.

Momo flushed, trying to get away from the embarrassment. Her face was in different shades of crimson. She looked at the laughing men and at her shoes, but then one face caught her eyes.

There was one man there. One who didn't laugh. One who had a frown plastered on his handsome face and his eyebrows furrowed in irritation.

_Who was…he?_

He had snow white hair, the fairest tint she'd ever seen. It was spiked up and as she peered closer, didn't seem to have any gel in it. It looked as soft as a nest of feathers. He had a strikingly sharp face, slightly tanned which brought out his tuffs of ashen generously. But Momo almost gasped when she saw his eyes, peer up at her. His eyes were like underwater flames. They burned with a quiet determination, blue and green clashing with each other almost too perfectly.

All in all, he was gorgeously handsome. One of the fairest men, Momo had ever seen.

Too bad he was with Kira—she might've liked him.

"Shut up, all of you." The gorgeous boy snapped suddenly, glaring with ice-cold eyes at his colleagues.

Kira frowned, a small pout on his striking face. "C'mon, Toshiro-taicho. We're just having a little fun." Toshiro snorted indignantly and stared at Kira, daring him to make another remark.

_Toshiro…That's his name? Matches him perfectly. _She thought, raising an eyebrow.

Kira stroked his heavily-perfumed blonde hair. He ignored Toshiro, then simply shrugged and reached for a bao with his chopsticks, one arm still wrapped around Momo. The young peach was trying to inconspicuously inch away from the bastard.

If Momo was not Momo, she would've fallen head over heels for Kira Izuru.

He had silky blonde hair and large exquisite blue eyes, but beneath his practiced charm, you could see the _real_ him.

He was a womanizing pig and an asshole that deserved absolutely nothing. He always had an arrogant air around him and he bridled like he ruled the heavens. She loathed him with every fiber of her being.

"So, whiskey, as usual, Kira-_sama_?" Momo asked, grinding out the 'sama' part.

Kira nodded absentmindedly, listening to some sexist joke from his friends, and finally released her. Momo sighed inaudibly and scurried back to the kitchen, relief flooding her.

Momo, after getting the drinks, scrambled back to the table reluctantly after some threats from her master. The men were all laughing, though Toshiro had an annoyed look plastered on his face. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, ignoring the words from his friends.

Momo walked over to the table silently, not wanting to know in the slightest bit at what they had been talking about.

_Perverts._

Kira turned around and faced her when she set the glasses and poured the intoxicating mix in them.

"Momo-chan?" He taunted, beckoning to her with a finger. She frowned.

"Yes, sir?"

"Come here."

Momo's eyes widened, almost tripling in size. Kira was smiling pleasantly, patting his lap. Momo half dropped/set the bottle on the table and mumbled, "No sir…I prefer not to."

"Ah-ah-ah, Momo-chan." He _tsked_, waving a finger at her like she'd been caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar.

"We wouldn't want Mrs. Kotei to know what a bad…host you've been, now _do_ we?"

Momo gulped, mentally swearing that she would kill this man someday. Grinding her teeth, she glanced helplessly at her shoes. Quietly obliging, she gingerly sat on the man's lap. His buddies roared with laughter and again, Momo was a crimson shade of scarlet.

Despite herself, her honey eyes traveled to the gaze of Toshirou. He refused to meet her gaze and all hope for freedom shriveled up like a withering flower.

Little did she know, a whipping was better than what she was about to recieve.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Kira, are you stark, raving, _mad_?" The white-haired prodigy hissed, pulling on his coat. He wrapped his blue scarf around his neck, glaring angrily at Kira. They had just finished eating a couple minutes ago and were now outside, preparing to return to Sereitei. The cold night breeze whispered past his ears and tugged at his ashen locks. Toshiro would be in a pleasant mood, if Kira hadn't done what he did to that poor, innocent slave back at the tea-shop.

Toshiro motioned with a hand for one of the slaves by the stable next to the restaurant to bring him his horse.

"Just a little fun, Toshiro-taicho."

"You made her faint. _FAINT, _damnit!"

"Hmmm…That was…quite unnecessary of her, don't you think?"

"I think I would too, if someone tried to force a kiss on me!"

The slave who had been summoned earlier quickly ran back, black horse in hand. He bowed emotionlessly to Toshiro, handing him the reins, and the white-haired prodigy thanked him, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a couple small coins. He dropped them in the slave's dry, dirty, and rugged hands.

The slave's eyes widened and he thanked Toshiro numerous times before scurrying back to whatever ditch he had been in before.

"Hmmm…Whatever, taicho. I don't even know why I brought you here with me. Too bad you interfered earlier." Kira winked slyly and chuckled.

"You're lucky I did! Do you want to tarnish the name of the Great Noble Clans?" Toshiro snapped back, grabbing his horse's reins. Not waiting for a reply, he leapt onto the horse's back and with a tap of his foot, they were off.

The trees raced by, as did the ground, underneath the mare's feet. But as she did so, the rhythm of her running had almost put her master in a weird trance-like state.

He breathed in the crisp night air, glad to be finally rid of Kira.

Toshiro let his mind drift, thinking about everything. Silently cursing his lieutenant for never doing any paperwork and also quite annoyed with himself for allowing Kira to drag him out. Then again, it would have been rude to decline, as they were both future leaders of separate clans. Then his thoughts drifted to his girlfriend, and he relaxed slightly.

But instead of Ayumi's pale face and shiny, glossy, auburn hair, another face popped up in his head.

That slave girl from earlier.

_Hinamori…Momo? I think her name was?_ He thought, frowning somewhat confused.

Her heart-shaped face was pale but always seemed to be tinged pink on her cheeks. Her small, but full scarlet red lips, which were painted with a large fake smile. He also recalled that she didn't have any makeup or paint on, unlike the rest of the girls. Her eyes were what sparked his interest the most. They were a light color and reminded him of melted caramel.

Her hair was not shiny, looking almost lifeless, until you noticed the way that it was naturally divine. It had more than one shade, he noticed, thinking back. She had long hair, pulled back in a bun. It looked almost messy but in a very attractive way. It looked almost like strands of dark chocolate, drizzled with rain-like syrup.

But he brushed off her looks without another thought. She had looked at him pleadingly for help, but there was no stopping Kira. And he didn't even know the girl, so why would he do that? No matter how he tried to excuse himself, guilt had wrapped its drowning fingers around his throat.

Toshiro almost didn't notice when his horse skidded to a slow and smooth stop by the stables of the 10th division.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**I'm re-writing this entire thing, considering I wrote this when I was 12…Man, I sucked at writing. I'm so embarrassed—I can't believe I actually posted this crap. Well, revisions are being done so please review!**


	2. Alive

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 2 – **

"_Alive"_

This is probably going to be one of the most explicit chapters. There's not gonna be rape, molesting, or anything like that, just a bunch of mature vocabulary.

**Two And a Half Years Later:**

"MOMO! YOU GODDAMN WHORE!" Mrs. Kotei screeched, swinging up the metal rod in her hands and slamming it vigorously against the brunette.

Yelping, Momo fell onto the floor, biting her lip. "I didn't do it!" She screamed, covering her scrawny bruised and bleeding arms over her head. She felt tears pool at the corner of her doe-like eyes and she blinked, trying not to cry.

"BITCH! YOU TRAMP! YOU LIAR!" Mrs. Kotei screamed again and again, slamming the crowbar at Momo's face.

"H-he was on ME! I didn't do anything!" Momo tried desperately to explain, stumbling over her words, biting her lip and trying to ignore where blood was flowing down her arm.

"MY HUSBAND WOULD NOT CHEAT ON ME! ESPECIALLY FOR A BITCHY SLUT LIKE YOU!" She screeched again, shaking her head vigorously. Her graying curls bounced out of its usual straight bun and her face was red and puffy, her eyes mad like that of a wild beast.

Huffing, the aging woman's chest heaved, and she screamed a string of curses at the young girl.

Momo frantically tried again. "No! Please, stop." She begged.

Mrs. Kotei didn't even to hear her words, raged held her in its fiery grasp. Taking in a deep breath, she yelled again, "After all I've done for you; you try to take my husband away!" She laughed manically, "I'll _kill_ you before that happens."

Gripping the metal bar, and with a roar, Mrs. Kotei leapt up onto Momo, who was sprawled out on the floor and slammed it against her ribs.

Momo cried, screaming. She felt the wind being knocked out of her and tears coursed down her red face. Crawling into the fetal position, she writhed around, but choked as blood started to stream up her throat. Coughing and gagging, she pleaded for her master to stop.

"Please…"

"Go to hell."

Snarling and screaming, Mrs. Kotei smacked it against her head with all her might.

With a cut off scream, Momo fell and sprawled out onto the ground, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and showing the whites of her eyes.

_Why…? _

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"_Here's your tea, Kotei-sama!" 16-year old Hinamori Momo said brightly, walking into her master's office. In her hands were a tray with a cup and a tea kettle. The morning light streamed through a large window and momentarily blinded her for a moment._

_Blinking a couple times, and not hearing a response, Momo furrowed her eyebrows in concern. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she gasped as she noticed several bottles littering her master's workplace._

"_Master…Kotei?" She asked, perplexed. _

_She heard a giggle behind her and abruptly turned around. There her master was, standing behind her. He had a lopsided grin, his kimono's top was loose and his face was a stained scarlet color. She frowned—he was drunk again. And nothing good ever came from him getting anywhere near alcohol._

"_Mo~mo…Momo-chan!" He sang happily, giggling like a little school girl._

_Momo opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. This was her master. Her strict, no nonsense master, acting like a child! _

_It was then that his breath drifted over to her. A musky, terrible scent._

_Sake._

"_M-master, have you been drinking?" Momo stuttered, walking towards him._

_He laughed again, smiling like an idiot._

_Momo carefully bent down, gently and gingerly placing the china onto the floor._

_She repeated her question._

"_Momo," He giggled again, "You've been a naughty, naughty girly!"_

_Momo's eyes widened in shock. _

"_Kotei-sama…You've been drinking. You don't know what you're talking about, please."_

"_OH! The little slave bitch is telling her master what to do?" He sneered, suddenly angry, his mood jumping several notches. He took a couple heated steps toward Momo, who tried to back away._

"_Well, I'd better punish you!" He grabbed Momo by the waist, and threw her on the bed. Screaming, she hit the side and rolled onto the mattress. Momo shrieked, trying to scramble away. Apparently, he knew what she was about to do and grasped her ankle, pulling her closer._

"_Momo-chan!" He jeered, still laughing deliriously. "Is so pretty!"_

_That's when Mrs. Kotei walked in._

_It took her two seconds to figure out what was going on, and a minute to drag Momo from the bed, and down the hall, where she wrenched a metal bar from a nearby window and started beating the hell out of the poor girl. _

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Damn you, _fucking whore_!" Mrs. Kotei yelled again and again.

Rukia winced. She peered over the side of the hall and almost cried when she saw how still Momo was.

Taking a deep and puffy breath, their master slammed it one last time against Momo's limp side.

Suddenly, the crazed woman looked up, sweat pouring off of her like bullets.

"You there!" She snarled, glaring at Rukia. Eyes widening in surprise, Rukia took a step back.

"Y-yes?" She stuttered, and then cursed at herself for being so weak when Momo had the crap beat out of her.

"Take this..._thing _away before I kill you too!"

Cringing, Rukia nodded and bowed, and then almost **ran **to where Momo was. Grabbing the brunette's arm, Rukia lifted her friend onto her petite shoulders. Despite what people might've thought, Rukia was a pretty strong girl and she dragged Momo away.

When Rukia turned around and saw that Mrs. Kotei was gone, and after double checking and making sure, she walked into her room, ripped pieces of cloth from her clothes and wrapped Momo in them.

_Dammit. _Rukia thought, narrowing her eyes.

_You're going to be sold now, for sure._

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Still rewriting…**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	3. No Prince Charming

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 3 – **

"_No Prince Charming"_

The brunette fidgeted restlessly in her seat. She was in the waiting area where slaves were waiting for their turn to being sold. Awaiting their sorry fate, being sold to new masters.

The chair she was sitting on groaned and creaked dangerously. But she didn't care. Actually, she didn't notice. How could she? Her mind raced over who her new master was. How was he going to treat her? Would he be cruel? So, she didn't notice around her physical world. She didn't notice how masters around her stared at her with pity and disgust.

The Koteis' sold her two years ago. Her new master had died recently, so all of his _things_ were being auctioned off…even his slaves. It had been two years since she had last seen her best friend, Rukia, and it had been two years since she was forced to work as a geisha. Her new master had been nice, he was old with kind eyes and all Momo really had to do was fetch him tea and read stories to him because his weathered eyes couldn't make out tiny prints of books. She had actually been happy, but then he suddenly died.

Despite herself, she felt…anger at the man for dying so abruptly—leaving her alone and being sold, again.

Suddenly, the last slave was sold and the host or "salesman" finally called her name, her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

Now was the time to get up there. But she remained glued to the seat.

She couldn't, wait no, _wouldn't_ go out there. Her heart raced, until she could hear it beating in her ears. She felt faint. Momo had always been a pretty shy girl, so when going out on a freaking STAGE in front of loud and boisterous people, she couldn't handle it.

A couple minutes passed in silence as Momo remained taped to the chair.

The stage in front of her was quiet, until she heard someone yell, "Where the hell is she?"

Without thinking, Momo leapt from her seat, and scrambled away.

_I'm NOT going out there! _She thought running and trying to find an exit.

She spotted the door and without another thought, sprinted towards it, pushed the handle, and swung out.

Fresh air greeted her, but she took little time to celebrate her freedom.

The auction house she was in was isolated, as to keep slaves from getting away. It was surrounded by miles and miles of forests, the only thing beyond there was the Gotei 13.

Momo kept running, she hardly noticed as she plunged into the forest surrounding her. Running quickly through the forest, ignoring thorns scratching her legs, she tried to figure out where she was.

The Gotei 13 were the supreme rulers of Japan. Most of it was on the mainland, and there were also a few small towns where aristocrats or slaves lived, but that was it. The Gotei 13 were led by 13 Captains, followed by their lieutenants, but only about 3 slaves in HISTORY had even had a glimpse of their powerful leaders. Stories were told of the Captains, that the Gotei 13 were Shinigami. Powerful beings with special abilities, able to kill instantly.

At that point, Momo slumped down against a tree and laughed. She was in the woods thinking about how the Shinigami were "magical". She'd be fine, if she had any idea where the hell she was.

She wanted to laugh and cry and the same time. Laughing because she'd finally escaped, but crying because she'd probably get eaten by  
wild animals or something.

A snap behind her suddenly knocked her out of her thoughts. Without even thinking of looking back, Momo jumped to her feet and started to sprint through the woodland again.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"There's a hollow and a couple Menos nearby!" A young Captain yelled. "Groups one and three, take care of the hollow, the rest of you go after the Menos, now!"

Pleased with the "Yes sirs!" he heard, he concentrated his thoughts on something else.

Toshiro Hitsugaya was taking his new recruits out to eliminate hollows, he furrowed his eyebrows.

There was something bothering him. He could feel a flickering reitsu (spiritual pressure) coming closer and closer so he sent his groups to chase hollows in the opposite direction.

Something beside him caught his attention. Turning around, he wanted to just run away.

His lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, waved at him stupidly. Toshiro wanted to slap her.

"Matsumoto! Go with the groups and keep an eye on them!" He snapped, a vein throbbing in his head.

She giggled. "Sure thing, Taaaiiiccchooo!"

"Are you drunk again?"

She smiled cheekily at him and he groaned.

"Just go, Matsumoto before I freeze your sorry ass!"

At this, the strawberry blonde pouted. "Taicho's such a meaaaaannyy butt!" She crossed her arms and stomped off, hopefully to where Toshiro had ordered.

Once he was sure Rangiku had…sauntered over close enough to the groups where his 3rd seat could keep an eye on her, he unsheathed Hyorianmaru.

_That reitsu…Is someone trying to attack us? Why else would it be so well concealed? _He thought worriedly. Even now, he could barely feel it.

And he was a CAPTAIN.

Digging his left heel into the ground, Toshiro leapt into the air, his haori fluttering behind him, and began to run to where the mysterious spiritual pressure was.

Momo felt like dying.

Groaning, she collapsed onto the ground. She'd been walking for HOURS. The sun was going to set soon, and she still had no idea where she was. Momo was just going around in endless circles. Everything just looked the same.

She was so tired. He legs and arms were covered with small scratches, and she pushed her bangs back with a clumsy hand.

"Uggghhhh…" She groaned, her head falling back and her eyes flickering.

She was ready to just sleep for three days straight.

Sighing, she sprawled out on the ground and closed her eyes.

A howl echoed around her, and her eyes snapped open.

She stood up, tense as a plank of wood. She heard something crash behind her and yelped, jumping into the air.

"What was that?"

The answer hit her as a giant tree beside Momo fell, just a couple of yards away from her.

A creature, (for Momo had no other idea how to describe the thing) about the size of a small house roared in front of her.

Screaming Momo ran, but something inside her told her that it was no use. Something hard and cold hit her side, and feeling the wind being knocked out of her, Momo was punched a couple yards from where she had been running.

Yelling, she hit the ground heavily. A sickening crunch hit her ears as she landed. She screamed, feeling something wet on her side. Lightly tracing her fingers over her stomach, she felt ill as her hand turned red.

Shaking, tears pooled from her eyes, and she looked up. The monster loomed over her. It had an ugly white face, with lines and alien markings on it that looked strangely like a mask.

It had a long neck and a smaller body. With 4 legs, each paw had razor sharp claws. With a shuddering feeling, she realized that this…_thing_ was a hollow. Waves of memories washed up against her as she remembered the stories of these beasts.

"_If you aren't a good girl, hollows will come and eat you!" _A distant voice rang in her head…Her mother had always used to say that to her, to scare her into eating nasty vegetables.

Howling, the hollow reared back and prepared to pounce on her, its ugly yellow eyes flickering with an evil gleam.

Momo tried, oh she did desperately. She tried to move, to crawl away. But it was no use. She couldn't move her aching and bleeding body.

Crying softly, Momo closed her eyes, preparing for the final blow.

The Hollow jumped, sprang into the air, and landed on Momo. Momo shrieked its heavy weight crushed her legs, followed by a loud _CRUNCH_! Probably breaking all the bones in her legs. Momo felt numb as its claws dug into her skin and ripped open her sides.

Nothing could describe what she felt like right now.

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the trees and the grass.

_Her _blood.

Screaming, and screaming Momo wondered why she had to go through all this pain. Why wasn't she dead yet? She just wanted this to end.

The claws suddenly retracted and Momo felt blood oozing up her throat. Choking, she felt the heavy weight lift off of her, and suddenly, her vision swayed. Everything became blurry and the pain…was gone.

_Am I finally dying? _

Seeing black spots dance around everywhere, Momo gave in. She was dying, she knew it. Closing her eyes, she said to herself, _I'm finally dying._

And the last thing she heard sounded like an angel's whisper…

"_Souten Ni Zase, Hyorianmaru!"_

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**There are so many things I wish I would've changed in this story.**

**Thank you all for the amazing support!**

**Keep reviewing and favoriting and following!**


	4. Ayumi

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 4 – **

"_Ayumi"_

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Who is she?"

"Oh my gosh, look at all that blood!"

"What's up with the captain?"

"Hitsugaya-taicho…!"

All these things seemed to be said to Toshiro as he shunpoed across Sereitei, a dying and bleeding girl in his arms and people shouting and pointing fingers at the young captain...He could already _hear_ the rumors that were bound to spread.

_I have to make it in time. _He thought, looking down and staring at the girl. She just looked like she was sleeping...if there wasn't blood gushing out of her. It splattered on her clothes and stained his a ruby crimson. Her face was deathly pale and it looked like she was going to die any second now.

But at the same time, she just looked so familiar. Like he'd known her in another life. Or they went to the same coffee shop every morning kind of thing.

But who, just _who_ was she?

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Retsu Unohana slumped tiredly against the wall, her eyes drooping in bags and her hair frizzing up and messy. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Everything was going fine, just about perfect—any other normal day…until Captain Hitsugaya dragged an almost dead and bloody girl into her office, demanding her to be healed. She scoffed; he was like a pouty child with a scowl etched onto his face.

She'd spent the last 8 hours trying to save the girl's life. And by the looks of it, she'd been attacked by a hollow, and was a whisper away from the fingertips of death.

Sighing and brushing long elegant fingers to her head, she messaged her temples tiredly, her eyelids tempting to just drop.

_Man, _she was **not** doing that again.

And in the room beside her, a random girl who was barely breathing, her best healers watching her as Unohana took a break. But the funny thing was, the girl had a lot of spiritual pressure, almost as much as a Third Seat.

_If she survives, she'll be quite the Shinigami. _She decided. _And she better be a good one too, I haven't had to rush like that in quite a while. Perhaps in almost a century… _She thought with an exasperated air. _And Hitsugaya-taicho sure knows how to attract attention... There are rumors that HE did that to the girl! How scandalous. _She said to herself.

Just then, the doors of the room the girl was in burst open. Unohana stood up from the wall quickly, surprised to see Hanatarou standing there, panting and his eyes wide with fright. He could barely stutter out the words and Unohana stood there, impatiently waiting.

"Unohana taicho! Her pressure is dropping…she's…eh, cardiac arrest!"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"She's awake!" A hushed voice whispered excitedly.

Momo groaned, yet she couldn't hear the sound come from her throat and she felt annoying fingers poke her arm. She had no idea where she was, but she didn't care. She was so _tired_.

"No, leave her alone. She needs to rest."

Momo mentally thanked the motherly second voice and she gave a sigh of relief as the fingers stopped. Her eyes were still closed, so it didn't take long for her to slowly drift asleep.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

_A small girl sat onto a thin branch on a ripe peach tree. The sun was shining and it was a clear, crisp, summer day. A slight yet welcome breeze whispered and tugged at her hair, like gentle fingers. She giggled, reaching for the plump and furry fruit above her. _

_She had large hazel eyes and silky brown hair pulled into pig-tails. She smiled as she grasped the peach and with a somewhat concentrated look on her face, and she yanked it off, laughing with victory._

"_HEY!" A loud and rude voice suddenly interrupted her glee. The girl paused, pursing her lips, slightly peeved._

"_What're you doing on MY tree?" The voice said again, closer this time._

_Curious, she peered down and her head tilted in confusion as she noticed a small white-haired boy standing there and yelling at her, his face flushed and angry. All her irritation washed away, as his demeanor was so hilarious she couldn't help herself. _

_She giggled, covering her mouth._

"_Haha, you're so silly! This isn't your tree!" She said, smiling brightly at him as she took a large bite from the peach._

"_Yes it is! You're so stupid! I already climbed it BEFORE you, so, so it's MINE!" He retorted angrily, yet stuttered awkwardly._

_Her lips formed into a small pout as she heard him call her stupid._

"_I'm not stupid! YOU'RE stupid!" She retorted angrily, chewing her fruit._

"_Yes you are! And I'll bet you still wet your bed!" _

_Her eyes widened in shock. _

"_You're so mean!" She screamed, throwing her half-eaten peach at him._

_The fruit hit him in the face. "Ow!" He yelled, glaring at her. The girl slipped off the tree, climbing down it like a pro._

"_I'm telling my mommy! Leave me alone!" She yelled, reaching the last branch and jumping off._

_Without another word, she ran off in the other direction, leaving a slightly hurt and really annoyed boy behind._

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Unohana sighed.

"How am I supposed to tell Hitsugaya-taicho?" She murmured quietly.

Unohana usually saved everybody that was on the brink of death. That's how she was known as the "Healer" of the Gotei 13. That it would seem like she could "bring people back to life."

If so, then why, _why_ did she feel so useless right then? She couldn't figure out what was making the girl seize so much.

And if she didn't solve this enigma soon, she could say goodbye to her reputation _and _the girl.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Toshiro Hitsugaya sighed. The past 2 days were not going that well for him. He was sitting at his desk now, trying to finish paperwork yet to no avail. He was acting moody, lazy, and just plain rude because of a girl he didn't even know.

And just minutes before, when a slave forgot to **stir **his tea, he blew up on him. Hell, Toshiro even went as far as to threaten to execute him.

Good thing he didn't mean it.

And it didn't help that he couldn't focus at all. His mind was sitting with a brown-haired girl in the Fourth Division.

The last news he heard of her was when a small slave gave him a report. She was constantly going into cardiac arrest, and every time she started to thrash around, her stitches would open up and her blood would start to gush out everywhere. She'd needed almost a gallon of blood donations.

This girl was driving him crazy. And not the good kind of crazy, either.

A knock on his door suddenly drove him out of his stupor. Blinking, he shook his head and mentally slapped himself for being so out of it.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

"Come in."

The doors burst open, revealing a busty strawberry-blonde.

Rangiku Matsumoto.

"What do you want, Matsumoto?" Toshiro asked tiredly, not even bothering to keep the annoyance out of his voice. He messaged his temples, hoping that his lieutenant didn't see the bags under his dull emerald eyes.

Rangiku raised her eyebrows, placing her hands on her hips and noticing the obvious distress of her captain. "Oh, gosh taicho," She exclaimed. "You look terrible!"

"Don't I know it." He muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Now, what do you want?"

"Oh, nothing...Nothing at all!" She said airily with the drama of a high-schooler.

"Matsumoto...What. Is. It." He ground out. Usually, he'd be able to keep up with his lieutenant, with her annoying attitude and such, but today was NOT a good day to mess with the child prodigy. Rangiku walked over to his desk and grinned, looking like that floating cat in Alice in Wonderland.

Toshiro resisted the urge to groan.

"There've been rruuuummoooooorrss lately, taicho." She said slyly, moving her eyebrows up and down. Her fingers grasped a lock of her strawberry hair and she twirled it, the mischievous look still planted on her face. "What _kind_?" He snapped back...Okay, this was TOTALLY not helping his Annoy-Me-And-I-Will-Stab-You mood. Rangiku leaned over his desk, chuckling like Urahara on crack.

"Oh, well...it's probably nothing; everybody in Sereitei knows how much of a prude you are." She winked craftily.

Feeling his cheeks heat up, he squirmed and snapped, "Get to the damn point, Matsumoto!"

Rangiku sighed and gave in. "There have been rumors going around that you took advantage of the girl...and well, went a little too far." She explained almost sympathetically.

He groaned. "Dammit." He cursed, clenching a fist. "They know I've been dating Ayumi for three years now! Why would ANYONE say that?" He exclaimed, flushed and angry. Rangiku simply shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you know Sereitei hasn't had anything THIS scandalous happen in a long time, I mean, WHEN was the last time a CAPTAIN dragged a half-dead girl here? People will take any bit of information they can get, and stretch it as far as they can." She explained matter-of-factly.

He cursed again.

"Plus, it doesn't help when people are reminding _Ayumi_." She almost said her name with disgust. (Its' been three chapters, but remember Toshiro has a girlfriend?)

For reasons unknown, Ayumi and Rangiku, absolutely _loathed _each other. When he'd first told her that he'd finally gotten a girlfriend, she was so happy, insisting that they have parties from the crack of dawn, until the last rays of the sunset...That was, until she heard that it was Ayumi.

Then, she insisted putting his girlfriend's head on a stick...And it didn't help when Ayumi got promoted to lieutenant in the Fifth division. Lieutenant meetings almost always ended with the two females battling it out the old-fashioned way, what with the hair-pulling and clawing.

Toshirou could never understand _why_ they didn't get along—they both liked to get drunk as hell, so they should be best friends, right? At least that was his logic.

"Ayumi thought you had something going on with the girl, so she asked me to ask **you**. She had to pay me, though." She explained, sourly poking a finger at Toshiro. "Oh man! And I thought it was going to be something juicy..." She moaned, pouting slightly.

Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard and Rangiku muttered with obvious distaste, "Ayumi's outside right now..."

"Come in."

The door creaked open quietly and in stepped Ayumi.

Her auburn hair came out in ripples, like a stream flowing over rocks. Shiny and glossy, with a silky feeling, her hair was thick and glamorous. Her wavy locks were the color of fall leaves. Rangiku's favorite season used to be fall. She decided that she liked spring better—after meeting Ayumi, of course.

A long, trailing, beautiful yet simple dress warped around her petite frame, the dress came in three layers, the top part wrapped around her bodice and the top part was like that of a kimono, giving it a Japanese effect contrasted on the western styled gown.

Her eyes were blue, a hue deeper than the waves of the ocean. Toshiro took a deep breath and inhaled a sickeningly sweet smell of perfume. It smelled of roses and other exotic flowers.

Wrapping his arms around her thin waist, he pecked her gently on the lips.

Gagging, Rangiku imitated barfing in front of her captain, hell, she even unsheathed her Zanpakto and was pretending to cut her head off.

Rolling his eyes, Toshiro said to his girlfriend, "You know I'd never do that to you."

She sighed, frowning slightly.

"I'm sorry, but…I guess I just had to know." He nodded and released her from his hug.

"Alright, can we get this stupid love-puking moment over already?" Rangiku's annoyed voice called from the doorway. Ugh, she did _not _want to see them making out on the couch again. She ALWAYS slept on that couch, so when she had to jet it with a hose, scrub it down for hours with dish-soap, and have Rukia go all ice-ass on it; she was **not **a happy camper.

"I guess I should go now," Ayumi said sadly, shooting a glare at Rangiku, who then retaliated and used a very rude finger gesture back at her.

Toshiro groaned. "Would it _KILL_ you two to knock it off?" He said, exasperation flowing through his voice.

"Yep." The two women said at the same time, then looked at each other and scowled.

"Whatever. Well, since you look busy, I'll be going now, bye Toshiro-kun." Ayumi said sweetly to the child prodigy, waving a hand. Toshiro nodded, almost **glad **to get rid of them.

She got up and walked to the door where a super pissed off Rangiku was waiting. Saying their last goodbyes, Ayumi closed the door and left.

Silence filled the room.

Toshiro glanced down at the paper on his desk.

Sighing and smacking his brush onto the paper, he began writing a report about hollow disturbances in east Rongonkai. The second after he wrote the word "Hollow," his thoughts returned immediately to the young girl he rescued.

He was so deep in thought, that the young captain didn't even notice a hell butterfly float in through the open window of his office.

_I just have to forget about her, just for a second. _He sighed.

Man it was going to be hard.

And even harder, when the hell butterfly landed on his finger and said,

"_Hitsugaya-taicho, the girl you brought in earlier has been proclaimed dead."_

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**I changed some stuff, not too much though. **

**Thanks for reading and sticking with this, even though it's been so long!**


	5. Shiro

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 6 – **

"_Shiro"_

Something was wrong…_Very_ wrong. Rangiku Matsumoto decided this when she didn't find her captain sitting at his desk in the Tenth Division. He'd usually be in there, busily writing on the cursed paperwork and yelling at her for being late.

So when he wasn't, Rangiku just _knew _something was up.

It was half-past noon, and she'd just woken up. Knowing that her Captain was going to scream at her, she cursed at herself for drinking so late, and she started coming up with excuses.

_I helped an old lady cross the road? Ah, no…_

_I got lost on the road of life?_

_No, I got it—I saw a black cat crossing the road, so to avoid bad luck, I took a different route!_

Quickly dashing to the office, she barely had time to brush her thickly knotted hair, even going as far as to decline a drinking contest from Kyoraku on her frenzied journey.

So when he _wasn't _there, she didn't know whether to cry out in joy and yank out her hidden sake bottles, or to run out and find him.

Apparently, he was more important to her than sake.

Turning around and running towards the 9th division, Rangiku called out, "Taaaiicchhooo!" Frantic, she almost knocked down a couple Shinigami, asking them with the eyes of a madwoman if they'd seen her taicho. None of them did. Sprinting down the barracks, the strawberry-blonde gave a sigh of relief as she saw a familiar spiky-haired fukutaicho. "Hisagi-san!" Rangiku called, waving her arms frantically like a monkey balancing on a balloon. Hisagi turned around, not a bit surprised to see the lieutenant of the 10th Division run up to him.

"Rangiku-san, is this about the party that I didn't go to last night?" He asked, waiting for her to snap his neck. He'd promised her a couple weeks ago that he'd go with her, but then the Sou-taicho (Old man Yama) sent him to Tokyo in the World of the Living.

"No, it's much more important!" She insisted, almost crashing into him. He took several steps back—nothing was more important to Rangiku Matsumoto than sake. Hisagi glanced at her wild silver eyes and knew something was wrong. "Rangiku, nani?"

"Taicho's missing!"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Unohana seethed—almost ready to lash out at the young Captain standing there before her; he was demanding answers and she had none.

She was with Hitsugaya in the Fourth Division hospital, surrounded by busy nurses, and she raised an eyebrow as she noted Hanatarou tripping over a rug in the background and spilling some medicine. She gave herself a mental note to talk to the clumsy boy, especially when he was handling serious stuff.

"Her wounds are healing well, but-"

"Well then, why is she dying?" Toshiro stipulated, shocking even himself that he was so concerned about a girl he'd never even met.

_What is the matter with me? _He thought, frowning a bit.

"Shinigamis have **reitsu** in their blood cells-" She tried again, but Hitsugaya quickly interrupted her, "But she's not a Shinigami!"

Okay...Even HER pateince was running out. Unohana took in a deep breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves. Oh, it had been a while since somebody took this much time to test her quickly withering patience.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," She said, in a voice _much _too kind, "Please let me continue." She smiled at him patiently, knowing that her "infamous" death-smile (as Ukitake called it) would work.

The young prodigy froze as a chill ran through him.

"To begin with, so Shinigami have reitsu in their blood cells, and apparently, so does she."

"B-but!" Toshiro cut in again, only to be silenced by the notorious **look**. He glanced down at the floor briefly.

"I don't know _why_, but she does. Continuing on," She said, narrowing her eyes and silently _daring_ him to interrupt again. He said nothing, and she nodded, pleased. "Because of her lack of reitsu, due to the Hollow attack, her cells are clotting together trying to kind of smuggle more reitsu in…to be more precise, clotting mostly around her _heart. _This is causing the fluctuating drops in pressure and the arrests."

Toshiro nodded, this soaking into his too-big head. "So, why don't you just give her reitsu?" He asked stupidly.

Unohana resisted the urge to groan. Was this child really a **prodigy**? Heck, even that retard Kenpachi could've figured this out!

Biting her tongue, she replied, "Hitsugaya-taicho, we are not dense. We have **tried**. But the thing is, she is just not taking it. We don't know why."

"What?" He asked, looking so dumb, he mirrored an ape. It was like this concept couldn't wrap around his mind.

Unohana took a deep breath, mentally yelling at herself for almost losing her cool. She said with a calm, professional air, "She is going to die, Hitsugaya-taicho. There is **nothing** you, me, or anyone else can do about it."

The 4th Division Captain tried not to sound mean, but truth be told, the moment she said those words, it was like blades of ice piercing through his already frozen heart. He breathed slowly.

"I...see." The boy murmured, looking at the ground.

Unohana looked down at the suddenly quiet boy, patiently waiting for a response, but then realized something. _I don't think I have to time for this though, I believe __**House**__ is on… _She thought, thinking about her favorite TV show (Which she loved correcting when the doctors made errors).

Toshiro kept his eyes firmly on his all of a sudden oh-so interesting shoes, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.

Why was he acting like this? He was a CAPTAIN! He didn't even know the girl! She could **die**, and he wouldn't care! He told himself, over and over again, yet still not believing it.

"I realize there is nothing you nor I can do, thank you for your time." He said finally, glancing up at Unohana. The healer looked into his cold, frozen eyes and though usually nobody could see any emotion through them, she could've sworn she saw a flicker of remorse.

"Just, let me go see her." He asked quietly. _Ah, _Unohana thought finally realizing it, _He feels responsible for the girl...Poor thing._

Nodding, Unohana looked at the boy. "Yes," She obliged. "Of course. She's in room 513. It's right down the hall." She pointed him to the left. Toshiro thanked her and turned around, the patter of his feet the only sound in the silent hallway.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

The screen that had her heart rate measure was slowly going down. Unohana had told him she had a few hours at the most to live.

Toshiro's eyes flickered down at her. She seemed to be breathing normally, her eyes closed; she looked so peaceful and tranquil. The girl's long thick eyelashes skimmed her cheeks, every time she took a breath.

He wanted to slap himself. _Here I am, _he thought, _sitting with some random girl…Gee, how Captain-like. If Matusmoto only saw me now. _He inwardly shuddered. He would not get away with it.

The prodigy sighed. _Baka,_ He chastised himself, _I don't have time for this. What am I even doing here? Just because I saved her doesn't mean I OWN her. _Yet he felt like he had to protect the girl, like she was his responsibility. Responsibility was always a burden, no matter what.

Toshiro snorted. _This is sick. I better go back to the office. She's going to die anyways…and I bet Matsumoto hasn't finished her paperwork yet. _Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the girl shift, rolling over onto her side, her eyebrows pushed together in worry. A tiny drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.

Toshiro sighed and turned away from the bed and looked out the window. Night was closing in; the last rays of the sun had already disappeared down the slopes and mountains.

The girl whimpered, softly…The young captain didn't notice, trying to catch the last of the sunset. _Ugh, I really need to get back to the office…Maybe I should try freezing Matsumoto to the chair…? _He mused, thinking about all the paperwork he'd have to do.

A deep rumbling in the back of his mind jolted him. He even accidentally released a smidge of his usually so well controlled reitsu.

Snarling with frustration, he snapped, _Hyorianmaru, what is it?_

Unsurprisingly, the dragon didn't reply. _You are so annoying. Even after THREE years, you're still angry with me?_

The ice beast said nothing. _Damn dragon and his stupid mood swings._

Growling, Toshiro turned around and walked to the door. Grasping the handle, he turned it and pulled, ready to forget the dying girl in the room.

That was his plan, until…

"Shiro-chan…?"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Please review, thanks! And can any of you guess where Matsumoto's "excuses" came from? (;**


	6. Filler Chapter: The BEACH

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 6 – **

"_Filler Chapter: The BEACH"_

**Since there's so much SERIOUS stuff going on in the stories, I decided to write this to ease some of the tension; again it has nothing to do with the actual storyline. **

**Enjoy.**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

A hot stifling breeze ran passed me, and I groaned.

"Dammit, Matsumoto!" I cursed, glaring intensely at my lieutenant. "Why the hell did you bring me here?" I narrowed my eyes sharply, and she giggled happily, clapping her hands and looking like a drunk monkey.

"Oh come on, Taicho! Live a little!" She sang excitedly. Running a hand through my tousled hair, I snapped back, "I don't want to. I'm going back to Soul Society, there's _more_than enough paperwork for me to do."

I almost winced as my feet were plunged into the hot, _hot _sand. Now, it was her turn to glare at me. "No, I don't think so." She retorted. "You said that I could have a party, here, at the beach if I finished all the paperwork…You can't go back on your word!"

I wanted to slap myself for ever agreeing to that.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"_Taaaiicchhooo!" _

"_What is it, Matsumoto?" I asked nonchalantly, glancing up at her as she broke through the doors of my office. I made a mental note to replace the locks._

"_Can we go to the beach? PWETTY PLEASE?"_

_"Hell to the **no**. Do your paperwork before I freeze your sorry ass to the chair." I said, surprised that she would even **try **asking. I quickly signed my name on another sheet of paper, and my free hand reached for another report to fill out._

"_Hey, hey, hey! You're such a meany-butt, Taicho!" She pouted, putting her hands on her hips._

"_My butt is perfectly fine, but YOURS won't be if you keep this up!" I snapped, almost breaking my brush for the umpteenth time. I glanced warily at my fukutaicho. Maybe she was bad luck...?_

_An HOLY-OMFG-I-GOT-AN-IDEA-THAT-TAICHO-CAN'T-SAY-NO-TO look suddenly sprigged onto her face. _"_OH! OH! OH! I have a __**great**__ idea! How about I finish the next month's load of paperwork, and you come to the beach with me and everyone else?" She proposed happily, jumping up and down with the excitement of a three-year-old. _

_I scoffed. "You, do all the paperwork? You've got to be kidding me…" I glanced up at her and almost choked on my tea when I saw that she wasn't. Her face was set and she stared right into my gaze, her left eye twitching slightly._

_Oh well, guess it couldn't hurt. _

_"Fine."_

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

I was _so_ sure she wouldn't be able to get HALF of it done. I decided then and there to never to make a bet with Matsumoto **ever** again.

The waves crashed in the distance, and I had an insane urge to just freeze everything...Wait—was that even possible? I mean, _somebody's_ gotta set the record, right?

"C'mon, Taicho! The water's perfect!" Matusmoto squealed.

Is it against regulations to strangle your lieutenant? I hope not. Groaning, I sauntered after the idiot. Everybody got such nice, professional subordinates and what did I get? An idiot who liked to get drunk off her ass.

Screaming and splashing hit my ears as we approached the water. Well, Matsumoto was going in the water, I was probably just going to hide in the shack there...Or I could make it snow, that would be okay too.

Okay, and if you haven't guessed yet, we were at the beach…To be more precise, a NUDE beach in Europe somewhere. I almost fainted when Matsumoto had announced that she'd reserved the place to me.

Luckily, Yamamoto said that nobody was allowed to be fully unclothed, but a LOT of people were pretty close to crossing that line.

The only people that were invited were basically 3rd seat and up. I frowned for a second…I could've sworn I saw...W-was that just Abarai in Speedos? I shook my head vigorously to clear myself of that image. God did that man need to shave. I turned around and sighed. Matsumoto had already plunged into the water, screaming and yelling like an ape on steroids. How the hell did I get a lieutenant like her? Maybe I should switch fukutaichos with someone…except for Omaeda. The fat loaf was probably worse than Matsumoto.

I turned around, hissing underneath my breath as the sun's harsh light hit me right in the face. You know, I've heard a lot of comments about me being tan…And I'm not gonna deny it, I am…but that's only because I burn freakishly easily.

Put me on the beach for 15 minutes without sunscreen, and I'll be an Asian lobster by the time I go back inside.

Only ONE of the reasons why the heat sucks.

Trudging slowly through the sand was like torture. I looked up and saw an unoccupied umbrella ahead of me. Walking quicker, I almost ran to the shaded area and immediately sat down, a sigh of content emitting from my throat.

I winced as I thought about running through the water like them, frolicking around like pink ponies on fucking crack.

I'd rather have Senbonzakura slicing me up any day than this. Speaking of which, even Kuchiki-taicho was here…I glanced absentmindedly at the beach. Sure enough, he and Rukia were making…bunnies and spinach…? Out of the sand. Oh yeah, they were having some kind of sand-castle contest…I raised an amused eyebrow as I saw Yachiru stick a crab in Ikkaku's loincloth.

_Heh, maybe this whole "beach" thing isn't so bad after all. _I thought, chuckling as Ikkaku screamed like a little girl, whereas Yachiru and everyone else were laughing their heads off.

"_Shiro-chan!_"

I take that back.

I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Her light footsteps padding closer to me, I turned around with half-lidded eyes and an arched brow. "Yes, Hinamori-fukutaicho?" I drawled out, trying to act bored. She hated me acting like that.

As predicted, her small, full lips fell into a small yet dangerously adorable pout.

"Quit being such a party pooper!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. I chuckled, she just looked so…so, _Momo._

"I mean it, Shiro-chan!" She said louder, and I sighed. Her eyes were ablaze with determination and I already knew I wasn't going to win this one. "Fine then, what do you want? Oh and for the last time, it's Hit…su…ga…ya…tai…cho." I drawled out, talking to her like she was a retarded cow. Then again, she'd be a cute retarded cow.

I mentally slapped myself.

She was quiet for a moment and I glanced up at her. "Momo?"

Suddenly, her face broke into a large goofy grin and she laughed. Quickly grabbing my hand, she yelled, "This way, Shiro-chan! C'mon, you're coming swimming!" Coughing and sputtering, I yelled, "What?"

Dragging me down the sandy slope, she didn't seem to have any problems moving me. I yelled in protest, "Momo, stop it! What are you doing?" Yet to no avail.

Shit.

All of a sudden, she stopped abruptly and I almost crashed into her.

I sighed, finally glad that it was over...only to see the shadows of Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai. Evil grins were plastered on their faces. My eyes widened in horror. Oh, no, no, _no. _

They were not gonna-

"Hey, need a hand, Momo-chan?" Renji asked, his eyes glinting, looking like that crack-head cat in Alice in Wonderland.

"Don't you **dare**, Abarai!" I yelled, but he just shrugged it off like nobody's business. "I will fucking demote you!" I tried again. They **both **ignored me.

"Yeah, it seems awfully hard to drag a fatty like Toshiro all the way down," Kurosaki added, flashing me a devious grin.

I started yelling and flailing in protest as Momo released me. "Okay, guys, just dump him in the water!" Momo chirped happily.

Scrambling to my knees and jumping to my feet, I tried to make a run for it…until the next second; my feet were **off **the ground.

"Damn you, Kurosaki!" I yelled, ignoring the giggles erupting from Momo. He carried me fire-man style and I pounded hard against his back. It didn't work at all. "_Hey_! Put me down this **instant**! I mean it, Kurosaki!" I yelled, kicking and thrashing. Nothing worked.

Just then, I hear Matsumoto scream, "Put him here, boys!" She was **so** going to get it. And to make matters worse, in an instant, I felt everyone's eyes on me.

"_Hey, do you have your phone?"_

Holy…w-was that just a camera flash? I groaned. Gosh, I could already see this on the cover of _Shinigami-Times,_ in large bold letters "HITSUGAYA TAICHO GETS DRAGGED DOWN BY HUMAN." My career, reputation, **life**, gone just like that. In the background somewhere, I heard some girl shriek, "TAKE HIS SHIRT OFF!" Followed by "YEAH! GET HIS PANTS TOO!" And I furrowed my eyebrows…I didn't recognize the voice…W-wait, don't tell me.

"WE LOVE YOU, TOSHIRO-KUN!" My fan-girls yelled, jumping up into the air and blowing kisses at me. _Yay_, this was just my day.

I groaned. "Let me go, Kurosaki! Those girls are going to eat you alive!" I kneed him in the stomach and he didn't even blink. Kurosaki rolled his eyes, "For a Captain, you sure are weak…"

I opened my mouth to scream at him, but suddenly he dropped me like a rock and it was filled with saltwater. I didn't even notice that we'd reached the water.

Choking and spluttering, my head broke the sure of the water and I gasped for air.

"DAMN YOU, KUROSAKI!" I yelled, blushing a freaking tomato red as everybody started laughing. I felt like shooting somebody when Matsumoto started snapping pictures…And even worse when I saw Hinamori crouched over, clutching her stomach and tears filling in her eyes. I glared at her, wishing she'd shut up…Hell, I wish everybody would shut up.

I stood up slowly, an idea suddenly hitting my head.

_Why didn't I think of this before?_

An evil smirk crept its way onto my face. I poked the orange-head in the arm, my snow-white hair plastered to my face.

"Hey, Kurosaki…" I said evilly. He stopped laughing for a second, a curiously dumb look on his face.

"What?"

"You know Hyorianmaru is the strongest ice-type, correct?"

"Um…yeah, but how does that have to do with anything?"

I chuckled evilly. Things were _finally _starting to get interesting at this stupid beach.

"Well, let's just say I can control a **bit **of its power, even when I don't have it."

A pure look of horror plastered across the strawberry's face. "No…" He croaked out, eyes wide as dinner plates whereas everybody else looked confused as heck. He started backing away and I started laughing like a maniac. What can I say? I have a bit of a sadistic side...

"Too late."

"_Souten Ni Zase, Hyorianmaru!" _

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

The sun rolled slowly and gently down the mountains. I sighed as I took in the beautiful sunset at the beach. Ah…It was a good day. And as for Kurosaki…well, let's just say he survived…And Matusmoto…let me just tell you, she was already a foot in the grave when I saw the mountains of paperwork, _hidden _behind in the 10th Division Barracks.

Oh, and did I mention this? Momo looked so hot in a bikini.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Did you guys like it? I know it was short and all but…was it good? Please review! **


	7. You and I Collide

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 7 – **

"_You and I Collide"_

…

_The sun was setting atop the mountains, dropping little by little. Its tired flames licked and danced against the evening sky, illuminating the cotton-like clouds that looked like candy. A small white-haired boy sat on what looked like a beaten-up porch, in the middle of a small town surrounded by large, ancient trees. In his vice-grip, was a giant chunk of watermelon, which he was vaporizing with his mouth by the second._

_A smaller brunette girl sat next to him, her large honey eyes glancing up curiously at the boy. She had a happy smile plastered all over her face, and her face was flushed, partially due to the heat and humidity outside._

_He suddenly opened his mouth, and shot out the black watermelon seeds like bullets…right at the girl. She jumped up, shrieking, slapping the black seeds off of her._

"_Shiro-chan!"_

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Momo laid on the hospital bed, glaring intensely at the tubes attached to her wrist, and everywhere else. It was just so, _so_ tempting just to yank the dang things off. But of course, she didn't, because then there would be all sorts of alarms and bells and just bad stuff. She growled under her breath, surprising herself...she was always usually happy.

But not _today_.

The whiteness everywhere didn't help her mood at all…Neither was the fact that she was in the middle of freaking SEREITEI, the capital of the all the ghosties and dead people in the world. Gee…Oh, yeah and the fact that if the Captain she was saved by found out that she was a wanted slave, he'd probably kill her himself.

Ah yes…it was _just_ her day.

Her fingers twitching nervously, she was deep in her mind…her thoughts suddenly turning to what happened just a couple hours earlier. Her dream…it was so alien. So strange. The elders back in the Rongonkai had told her that if she had a dream…chances was that they were dreams of her life…her old one, back in the World of the Living anyways.

And the little boy in her dream…looked so strikingly familiar.

Eh...Who knows?

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Matsumoto." Turquoise eyes flickered to the busty lieutenant. The said woman sighed. "Yes, Taicho?" She responded, quickly signing her name on the bottom of a sheet, her free hand reaching for another one.

She'd been doing this for the past 4 hours in the stifling office. FOUR HOURS! Her Taicho came in earlier in a menacing mood after visiting the hospital, saying that the girl was alive. But when she'd pressed for details, he said— and this is quoting his exact words: _"Do the paperwork or they'll find your mangled corpse in a dumpster."_

His man-periods were getting worse.

"Matsumoto, go to the hospital and pick up the girl in room 1-C." He answered monotonously, eyes never straying from the white of his paperwork, his hand writing down the report like a robot.

Rangiku's curiosity was immediately perked, and she leapt up. "Is it the girl? Oh my gosh, Taicho! Where do I take her, what's her name, does she like watermelons?" She gushed out, spewing out the first words that came out of her mouth.

Toshiro rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed at the stupidity of his lieutenant. "Matusmoto, just go get her. Apparently, she's our responsibility now. Ask her what her name is…how she got here, what her business is." Rangiku raised an eyebrow curiously. Her silver orbs flickered to the young Captain. Dark bags hung under his eyes, and his messy locks looked even more unruly than usual.

He was _tired. _And as usual, her mother-hen instincts kicked in.

"Taicho." She said seriously, her hand going unconsciously to her hip.

"Sleep."

"What? Matsumoto—"

"You're _tired. _Suck it up and take a nap."

"Matusmoto, no. I can't, there's too much work-"

"Hon, I don't care if there's too many papers you have to sign, or if you have to train the new recruits. YOU ARE GOING TO _SLEEP_."

Grumbling, Toshiro stood up slowly. Holy flying cows, his…butt hurt like crap! Like when you sit on a super-hard chair/bench for hours, and hours, and hours and your butt just pleads for mercy.

Cursing the chair, (it was made out of wood) he waddled in the most ungraceful way to the couch, where he swallowed a groan as he laid against the cushioned seat. The couch was supposed to be temper-pedic or something. The second he hit the comfy seat, his eyes had already started pulling down on him.

Smiling at the younger boy on the couch, the lieutenant said happily, "Alright, Taicho! I'm going to get her now!" But the boy had already drifted off in the wonders of sleep.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

A knock on her door snapped Momo out of her thoughts, her body reacting instantly and she bolted up. The rapping on the door started again, this time a bit faster. Annoyed, but swallowing her anger, she quickly combed her hair with her fingers, trying to look as presentable as possible. "C-come in." She croaked out, her small hand going to her forehead as she brushed back her bangs. The door swung open, the knob hitting against the wall hard.

Blinking, Momo leaned up.

"_Helloooo!_" A cheerful voice chirped. And in stepped Rangiku Matsumoto.

Momo just kind of…stared. And that wasn't surprising. Rangiku was beautiful, with her wavy golden locks and her ashy-blue eyes. Rangiku smiled happily. "Hiya! I'm Rangiku Matsumoto! I'm the lieutenant of the 10th Division; I think my Captain rescued you from a hollow or something like that." She explained, her joyful demeanor never dropping.

"Um…hi?" Momo murmured back. Momo was a shy girl; she couldn't help it…especially to total strangers that act like they're on crack.

"Well, let's not waste time...What's your name?"

Momo froze. _Oh gosh…if I tell them my real name, they'll kill me! _"Um…I'm, er…S-sakura."

Rangiku nodded, but raised an eyebrow at the girl's obvious lie. _Crap. She noticed! _Momo thought frantically, mentally slapping herself.

"Yes, I'm Sakura Mitsutashi." She said a little calmer this time with forced confidence. Momo was a naturally horrible liar, and she probably couldn't lie to a deaf person without getting caught.

"Alright then…_Sakura_." Rangiku said her fake name laced with sarcasm. "What'cha doing here?"

"Um…I got attacked by a hollow?" Momo answered automatically.

"Gee, I know that." Rangiku giggled. "But where were you going before?"

_Crap._ Momo winced inwardly. This was it. She was done for.

"I'm visiting my friend, er, Rukia Kuchiki." She said, waiting for Rangiku to point out, that there was no Rukia in the Soul Society. "Oh…really?" Rangiku asked, mildly surprised. "You're friends with Rukia Kuchiki?" Rangiku pressed, her eyebrow raised. "Er, yeah…We're really close, like sisters even." Momo replied, really confused.

As far as she'd known, there was only ONE Rukia Kuchiki in this world. Did Rukia get sold or something? Oh gosh, she'd just said that she was **friends **with a slave! But...how would she know Rukia?

"Sakura-san," Rangiku said, suddenly. Momo looked up in mild shock. "Um…yes?" She chirped out, her voice still soft.

"Well, apparently, the 10th Division has to take care of you so instead of being stuck in this hospital, would you like to have a tour of Sereitei?" Rangiku asked, extending her arm towards Momo.

The brunette was shocked, but smiled for the first time that day. Reaching up and grasping Rangiku's hand, she said happily, "Yes, I would love to."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

The chibi taicho groaned as he lay on his side. The sun was already beginning its descent down the mountains and he knew that he would have to get up sometime. Finally shaking the last bits of sleep off of him, Toshiro sat up, running a limp hand through his tousled hair. "Ah…shoot." He muttered, looking at a clock right above his bookshelf.

7:46.

Toshiro stood up slowly, as did everyone after taking a long nap, and stretched, looking quite funny, especially with tuffs of hair sticking above his ears and making him look like a cat. His turquoise orbs flickered towards his desk. Nothing was out of place, except for one little thing.

There was no paperwork on it. Absolutely none. _Huh…I'll have to thank Matsumoto later, _he told himself. Maybe his lieutenant wasn't that bad, after all.

Thinking of paperwork suddenly reminded him of something.

"I swear, I'm going to kill myself one day…" He muttered, mentally slapping himself. _I just HAD to take a stupid little nap…Ugh, the 8th Division will have my head on a stake. _He'd promised the already-late report for the 8th division, saying:

"_Yeah…I'll have it in by this afternoon, no worries."_

"_Ah. Arigato, Hitsugaya-taicho. We'll be expecting you."_

Yep, Nanao was gonna kill him.

Quickly scrambling to his desk, he opened the left cabinet, frantically searching for the file. The familiar words '8th Division Hollow Report' caught his eye and he snatched it, leaping over his chair. Moving quickly to the door, he slammed it open and ran outside.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Momo paced up and down the hallway nervously, her honey eyes flickering and her body cringing at the slightest noise. So, Rangiku had dragged her to every single one of the divisions, minus divisions 1 and 2, (She'd called them meany butts) and they were walking around, chatting, and stuff when Rangiku had spotted a...weird man/woman in a pink haori frolicking around, (Momo had tried desperately to run away) but Rangiku waved her arms around frantically, yelling to her "drinking buddy."

Then the busty lieutenant proceeded to go inside some random room in the 8th Division filled to the ceiling with sake bottles saying that "It'll just be a second."

Yeah, well that second had turned into hours.

Now, here she was, just waiting for her new found friend to come on out, and judging by the screams of "Gimme another shot, Shunsui!" it wasn't going to be anytime soon.

Sighing, Momo slumped to the ground tiredly. She pulled on the bandages on her arms and legs. The hospital had discharged her, after cleaning her wounds and giving her a new set of bandages.

She stood up, stretching out her arms a little bit and closed her eyes as a light breeze hit her cheek when…

**BAM!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Where is that _idiot_?" He hissed underneath his breath. Great. He couldn't find Ise-fukutaicho anywhere, and now he had resorted to finding the baka, Kyoraku.

He trudged down another hallway of the 8th Division, ready to give up.

"_Gimme another shot, Shunsui!" _The oh-so familiar voice hit his ears and he hissed. "Matsumoto…" He growled, his teeth grinding together.

He turned down another hall, walking/running, when suddenly…

**BAM!**

"OUCH!"

"OOF!"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

As expected, there was a painful collision, and she had accidentally tripped and tackled her victim head-first, propelling the brunette forward and her poor victim back against the floor. Momo could feel the heat rushing to her face in embarrassment, and finally her eyes opened to begin apologizing fiercely to the person she had brought down with her. She bit my lip hard as her honey eyes gazed into the face of the person she had wrongfully tackled.

You can probably guess who it was.

Shocking teal eyes looked back at her, his body stiff at the weight of hers pressed tightly against him.

_Holy cow...I did not just…?_

Behind them, she could hear the door open. Suggestive coughs were heard from behind, and Momo, her face as red as Snow White's death apple, rocketed up like a torpedo, shrieking.

Rangiku immediately started choking up with laughter and out of nowhere, produced a small, compact, Kodak camera.

Bright flashes of light hit her eyes as Momo stood up shakily.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

_I will kill her…I will kill her… _He repeated in his head, the second he saw the artificial lightening hit his face.

His face was flushed and it didn't seem like it was going to go back to its natural hue. Dark rose-like red protruded from his fluffed up cheeks. The girl that he'd wrongfully tackled was apologizing profusely…He kept his mouth shut. If he said, one, just _one_, word…he wouldn't be able to control himself and Rangiku would be dead.

He suddenly froze as a familiar reitsu hit him.

Toshiro, eyes wide in shock, turned around…and stared right into the amber eyes of Ayumi.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Almost there with the revisions…**


	8. BTUWHBG Association!

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 8– **

"_BTUWHBG Association!"_

"So…Toshiro, care to explain?" At that moment, a cloud drifted over the crescent moon, making the scene all-too eerie.

And if the whole "show no emotion" façade hadn't been drilled into him, Toshiro Hitsugaya would've been on his knees begging his girlfriend for forgiveness. Instead, he stumbled awkwardly to his feet.

Icy amber eyes sparked as sharp as flint as they glared with a deep hatred at Momo…who just a few seconds ago had been gawkily positioned onto Toshiro.

Struggling to get up, Momo stammered helplessly, "I-it's not what it looks like! We just…kind of crashed into each other!" She blurted out, sounding like a hurt puppy. She glanced up sweetly at Ayumi, her honey eyes pleading for the understanding of the older girl.

Ayumi's eyebrows were raised, not believing a word coming from Momo. Then again, why should she? The first time meeting Momo, she finds him on top of **her** man!

Narrowing her eyes, Ayumi said with a threatening tone in her voice, "Toshiro…This _better_ not be what it looks like."

In the background somewhere, Kyoraku had a bowl of popcorn which he was busily stuffing into his mouth, his eyes wide and he squealed to Rangiku, "This is JUST like that Spanish soap opera where Jose left Lupe for Rosalinda!"

Rangiku nodded excitedly, a wicked smile forming on her lips. "Yeah," She replied heatedly. "I _know_! But Lupe deserved it, plus Rosalinda was so much better for him!" In her hand was a small metal object…A video camera. She was filming everything, her hands shaking as she zoomed in on the furious face of Ayumi.

_Oh, Kyoraku could say goodbye to his little drama shows on the Spanish channel._ Rangiku thought, grinning like a Cheshire cat. _Cause right now, my goal in life is to get the biggest soap opera down on camera!_

(For some reason, Kyoraku's satellite dish had been cut off and he only got Spanish cable—something about Nanao and paperwork.)

Getting up without a word, Toshiro added, "It was an accident, Ayumi. I swear. I don't even know this girl."

Ayumi crossed her arms haughtily and snorted with disbelief. "You don't know her, Toshiro? You **saved** her, remember?" Her voice was laced with malice, thick with contempt and jealousy. It was just then that the Captain of the 10th Division wanted to slap himself.

His turquoise orbs flickering to the side, he noticed something. A small crowd was starting to form. There were a couple lower classes of Shinigami who were supposed to be sweeping the streets, hiding behind walls and whispering to each other.

"Hey, you there! Quit hiding and go back to your posts!" The young Captain commanded with an air of authority around him. Quickly scampering away, they muttered to each other before dispersing. Toshiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to unsuccessfully prevent a raging migraine. This was not going well, and if the paparazzi (Yes, Shinigami have those guys too) got a hold of this, he'd be in major trouble.

"Can we take this somewhere else?" The white haired prodigy asked, glancing at Ayumi. "Let's head back to the office, come on." He grabbed her hand and started walking away.

"Wait."

Toshiro glanced up at his girlfriend, an eyebrow raised.

"We're taking the girl with us." She replied, jabbing a thumb a Momo whose eyes widened with shock. Calling her over, Toshiro kept a close eye on her the whole walk back to the division.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"_Rangiku, you're kidding, right?" _A totally shocked voice poured through the phone that the busty lieutenant had at the moment pressed tightly to her ear.

"Oh no, Rukia! Nothing this juicy has happened in decades!" She replied, speaking excitedly into her pink cell.

Okay, so right now, she was staking out on the roof above the office…right where her captain, his girlfriend, and Sakura were talking in.

"_Oh my gosh! I will drag Ichigo back down to Soul Society if I have to, damn it all."_

"Of course!" Rangiku then grinned slyly. "Hey, maybe you and Ichi could come down for the weekend…There are a couple of nice and **quiet** rooms where you two could-"

"_RANGIKU!"_

Laughing, Rangiku could already picture the red face of Rukia glaring at her. "Chill, Rukia! I was just kidding!"

"_You better be."_

"Well…I could really use some help here, Rukia. Text me as soon as you can and do it soon!"

"_Alright, Rangiku…Bye."_

"Bye, Rukia."

The line went dead and Rangiku snapped her phone shut and smirked as she heard voices shouting below. Pressing her ear to the roof, she put the camera on tape recording.

_This is going to be **fun**._

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"I don't know what I should do, Ichigo…" Rukia murmured, pacing back and forth in his room. She glanced up at him with worried violet eyes. The strawberry sighed and ran a hand through his tousled orange hair.

"Well…To begin with, maybe it'd help if you actually told me the entire story of how you became a Shinigami." Ichigo replied lazily. The last year he'd spent with her, he'd been trying to do just that, but not once did his new girlfriend tell him about her past, family, or friends.

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows, her head seeming to be in deep thought. Finally she sighed and rubbed her head tiredly.

"Well…I suppose you're right. It was about a year ago when…"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

_A knock on the heavy wooden door woke her up from her sleep. Groaning lightly, Rukia rubbed her eyes sleepily when she noticed that it was about 3 in the morning._

Who would come now, and at this time? _She thought, sighing heavily. Rolling slowly off of her heavy sheets, she walked past the room she shared with four other girls._

_Walking up to the door, she opened it, shocked to find two tall men looming over her. Who would come to the teahouse this late? She supressed a shudder as chills ran through her body._

"_Are you Kuchiki Rukia?" One of them asked suddenly, his voice deep and husky. The one who spoke had weird spiky red hair tied up in a ponytail, but the rest of him was smothered in a cloak. It was the same with the guy next to him._

"_Um…yes, I am." She responded, uncertain and wondering what was going on. She, at that moment, really wished she had someone else with her, or possibly a knife or something._

"_You need to come with me."_

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"So, that was about two years ago." She explained, glancing over at Ichigo. He had a look of concentration on his face...Probably the first time in a while; he'd actually paid attention to what she was saying.

"And that's how my brother adopted me into the Kuchiki Clan. He was married to my sister, but she died." She explained. "I don't know how much he paid for me, but apparently it was a lot…The people who owned me were creepy selfish bastards. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to my friends, I was gone before they'd even woken up. And then I was forced into the Soul Society Academy." Her voice turned bitter for a split second.

Ichigo's amber eyes softened and he nodded for her to go on.

"I was passed with flying colors; Kidou and Reitsu control were my strongest subjects. I did alright in sword fighting." Rukia said quickly. Apparently her time at the Academy was not a happy one. "Plus, it helped with everybody knowing that I was in the Kuchiki Clan…I graduated in 7 months, which is pretty good," She acted like it was no big deal, but her chest swelled with pride and it was all Ichigo could do not to chuckle.

"But, apparently Kuchiki's get in and out of that school in like, a day because my brother was very disappointed in me. I was then assigned to squad 13." She didn't say anything about Kaien, and she hoped she'd never have to.

"And after a little bit, I was assigned on my first mission."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

_The night was all dark, like a smothered candle with the moon flickering in and out of the clouds. Rukia breathed deeply, her heart pounding with excitement._

_This was it._

_This was her first mission to the World of the Living. It was her time to protect souls and guide them…This was it._

_Leaping through the vortex, without a moment of hesitation, she had no idea her life would get so out of control, the second she stepped into Karakura Town._

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"And then you pretty much know the rest." She continued, jumping onto his bed.

"I saved you. Spent two months in a stupid gigai, got arrested, almost got put to death, got saved by you, learned about the Hogyoku and now here I am…Waiting for a war that's about to break out." She muttered unhappily, crossing her arms.

The strawberry then said, "C'mon. There hasn't been this much drama in the Soul Society since that bastard Aizen left. Besides, it sounds like Rangiku-san could really use a good wing-woman right now."

Rukia hugged him, leaning up and pecking him on the cheek.

"So that would mean I can go and you're coming with me and that even though I doodled Chappy all over your pink heart boxers, you still won't get mad at me?"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Apparently Ayumi didn't like to be angry at Toshiro for long.

Giving Toshiro a long (and disgusting kiss) Ayumi smirked at Momo, the kiss in a way like how animals pee on their territory to mark their prey. Forcing herself to act normal, Momo tried to keep down the wave of nausea running through her. Who would do that in public—well, besides horny teenagers on school parking lots.

_Man, _she thought, running a hand through her messy hair. _If I told Rukia, she'd be laughing her head off! _But her best friend was ripped away from her two years ago…and fate showed no signs of giving her back.

Finally pulling away from Ayumi, Toshiro asked, "So, what's your name?" He seemed to be happier than before—definitely calmer.

_Let the trial begin._

"Sakura Mitsutashi." She responded, surprised at herself for not stuttering. Nodding, he asked, "How old are you?"

"Physically or actually?" She shot back…apparently seeing two people having some kind of weird and gross make-out scene was all it took to knock all the goose bumps out of you.

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Both."

"15-16ish physically, 103 is my real age." She responded.

"What is your purpose of coming here?"

"I'm visiting a friend…Rukia Kuchiki. Do you know her?" She asked, faltering slightly, a sinking feeling in her heart telling her that this was not going to end well.

Toshiro's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're friends with Kuchiki?"

_Holy cow…There's another Rukia Kuchiki? _She thought mentally, wanting to smack herself.

It took every strand of willpower to say back, "Um…yeah. We're like, best friends."

"That's great, Mitsutashi-san." He replied. "My lieutenant is good friends with her, I'll have her come back and say hello. Meanwhile, you can stay in one of the extra rooms."

Momo couldn't even hear the last words he said, she felt numb.

Worst case possible was just being sold again, right?

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"So...I know just about everyone in this room hates Ayumi, including me." A strawberry blonde announced, clapping her hands. She was with the Shinigami Women's Association with a couple guys scattering about...Even Byakuya was here, although it was hard to convince him to go into a secret room Yachiru built...IN his mansion. His real goal was to capture the pink-haired evil little girl and bribe her to show him all the secret layers in his manor that he knew nothing about.

"So, my goal is to get Taicho and that Sakura girl together, what do you say? Is everyone in?" Rangiku called out, even though there were only about ten people in the room.

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered except for the little emo Captain of the 6th Division.

Rangiku grinned. This was gonna be fun.

"So, to start off today, which is the first meeting of the Break-Toshiro-Up-With-His-Stupid-Bratty-Girlfriend (BTUWHBG), we will list things that we don't like about Ayumi" She explained. "I will start off first," She announced, "She's an adulterous whore!"

Byakuya muttered, "She's obnoxious."

"And she has a bitchy God-complex," Renji said.

Yachiru screamed, "She never gives me candy, and ever since Shiro-chan has been hanging out with her, he's been giving me _less_ candy!"

"She got one of my solders drunk." Soifon added in, with a nod of agreement.

Isane said, "She comes to the 4th Division when she has a _paper-cut_."

Ikkaku snorted and yelled, "She can't fight for her life!"

"I just don't like her," Kyoraku and Jushiro offered at the same time.

"Midget-taicho is too good for her!" Yoruichi replied...It was funny how the cat-lady had picked THIS day to come to the Soul Society.

"YEAH!"

Rangiku clapped her hands. "Alright! Nice to know I have all of your attention and on Friday, when Rukia and Ichigo come over, they will also be part of the plan!" She announced. Everybody again cheered (except for party-pooper Byakuya)

Rangiku grinned evilly.

"Now that that's all cleared up...I need ideas to get them together!" She yelled.

"Any takers?"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Thanks for reading and for all you _Grey's Anatomy_ fans out there, yes, Ayumi is an adulterous whore and a dirty mistress…Toshirou just doesn't know that(: **


	9. Preparing

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 9– **

"_Preparing"_

"Ayumi, are you finished questioning her yet?" The white haired Captain groaned, his eyes creaking from tiredness. His girlfriend spun around, glaring at him angrily.

"Alright, fine!" She snapped.

Momo sat in the office of the 10th Division, tired as hell. After going two hours of non-stop questions and interrogations from Ayumi, she felt ready to sleep for a decade.

"Mitsutashi-san, there's a guest room right beside the office with a bathroom and a few spare kimonos in there. I think Matsumoto put everything that you shall need." Toshiro muttered mercifully.

"You can stay there until we contact Kuchiki. Good night." He instructed. And Momo, full of relief, could have kissed him right there—save for the fuming Ayumi.

Bowing quickly and gratefully, she almost ran to the door before calling, "Arigato, Hitsugaya-taicho, and Ayumi-san!"

Jogging down the corridor, she spotted an empty room right beside the office. And true to his word, Momo found a small bathroom in there with a week's supply of clothes. (Which were supplied by Rangiku.)

Going in and slamming the door shut, Momo sighed.

It'd been a long day, but she wanted to investigate her new living quarters before going to bed.

She blinked, turning the light on. Immediately, bright light filled the room and she winced, her eyes adjusting slowly. The whole electricity concept of Sereitei kind of freaked her out because she was so used to candles.

The room was fairly large, especially with what she was used to. The bed was on the corner, it was a nice queen size, and right next to a giant window, which had the blinds closed. On the other side of the room was a small desk with nothing on it and across from that was a small dresser.

Since there was wood covering the floor, a huge fuzzy rug coated the middle of the room where it was unoccupied.

Slowly walking towards the bathroom, which was beside the desk, she opened the door slowly. Inside was a small bathtub and a shower, and her closet, strangely enough was located in the bathroom. There was a new toothbrush and all sorts of bathroom necessities in there.

Cherry blossom scented shampoo and conditioner was in the bathtub and peach body soap too.

Grasping the handle to her closet, she pulled it open and was amazed. It was **full** of traditional kimonos and recent stuff from the World of the Living.

_How much do these freaking Shinigami get paid..?_ She wondered in amazement.

She noticed a small card in the corner of it and picked it up.

_Sakura-chan, these are all from me, Rangiku!_

_I went shopping while you were in the hospital and don't worry about paying me back, it was just a little bit of extra money I have._

_There are also three towels and if you need to wash anything, just go down the hall and take a left; there are the Tenth Division laundry rooms. Pretty cool, eh?_

_Just enjoy it and relax._

_~Ran._

Momo smiled for the first time that day. "I think I will…Thank you Rangiku!" She laughed, grabbing a plain white sleeping dress and quickly turning on the bathtub.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Oh my gosh, Rangiku! You're a total genius!" Rukia squealed which was unusually out of character for her. The said strawberry blonde grinned deviously. "I know right! You can thank the BTUWHBG Association for that!"

They were both sitting in Byakuya's mansion…to be more correct, in the mammoth kitchen at two in the morning. Ichigo (who Byakuya after some pleading let stay) was snoring his butt off in one of the guest rooms (Byakuya had remarked "I trust you, Rukia…But Kurosaki is another matter.) And Rangiku was also spending the night.

"Okay, so let's go over it one more time." Rukia instructed running a hand through her hair. She was exhausted, but she took another sip from the glorious coffee in front of her. Rangiku nodded excitedly, her hair bobbing with her.

"The fall masquerade is the day after tomorrow. Everybody has to wear a mask, including Sakura-chan and Taicho…And the tradition is that nobody reveals their masks." Rangiku whispered, grinning.

"If Hitsugaya-taicho doesn't know what mask Ayumi is wearing and Ayumi doesn't know his…" Rukia murmured.

"THEN THEY WON'T KNOW EACH OTHER!" They both screamed with excitement loudly. Both girls had goofy grins planted across their faces, their tired eyes alight with glee. Horror flickered across Rukia's face as she suddenly heard Byakuya's bedroom door open.

"CRAP! Hide Ran-chan!" She whispered.

Running to turn off the lights, the two girls dove under the table the second Byakuya stormed into the kitchen.

Seconds ticked by.

Rangiku was sure he could hear their breathing.

"Rukia, Matsumoto-fukutaicho…I know you're both hiding underneath the table…" Drifted Byakuya's dry voice.

"No we're not!" Rangiku yelled, earning a slap from Rukia.

"Get out _now_."

Both girls scrambled out, brushing dust off of their night clothes and busily patting down their hair.

Byakuya quirked an eyebrow.

"You young ladies were speaking about Ayumi's future demise?" The noble asked, looking at Rukia. Shifting slightly, Rukia replied, "Yes, Nii-sama. We're both terribly sorry for waking you up." She apologized, keeping her eyes on her feet.

Byakuya almost allowed a small smirk on his face.

"I was not speaking of that…I believe I can assist you and the BTUWHBG Association."

At the sight of the two shocked and bewildered girls, his lip curved up slightly.

Pulling a chair up, he began whispering and gossiping like a high school girl, giving instructions to the two Shinigami. Byakuya could have been Regina George.

"Nii-sama, you're so intelligent! This plan will work flawlessly!" Rukia said, but then turned to Rangiku.

"Hey, Ran-chan. I know this is great and all, but I can't really help if I don't know what this 'Sakura' girl looks like." She explained and Byakuya nodded…well, like Byakuya.

Rangiku giggled. "Oh of course, stupid me! Here, I took some pictures of her!" Reaching into her pocket and grabbing the photos, she thrust them in Rukia's face.

The raven-haired froze up.

"That's…Momo."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Oh…" The brunette said softly. "I see. Thank you very much." She thanked the messenger who had just handed her a letter. Nodding, the masked man left. She was in the Tenth Division's gardens when the messenger approached her and handed her an envelope. To be more specifically, a small pink envelope with a Chappy in the corner.

_What's going on? _She wondered, biting her lip.

Slowly, she peeled open the letter, almost chopping Chappy's face in half as she did so. (Momo has no talent with opening envelopes.)

Immediately, she spotted a small, neatly folded letter tucked in a corner. Quickly grabbing it, she unfolded the contents.

_Dear, Momo_

_I missed you so much! How the hell did you get here? Bahaha, anyways, this is Rukia. You know, Rukia Kuchiki? I need you to explain everything to me and I'll tell you what happened to me all those years ago. Oh, and I already told Rangiku your **real** name, so don't bother hiding it from her. _

_I'll meet you later after I do some stuff, alright?_

_So stay safe._

_~Ru-Ru._

Her hands immediately dropped the note. "No way." She whispered, a shocked expression streaking across her face. That wasn't possible.

_This is just some prank!_ She told herself, shaking her head fervently. _But what if it isn't? _A murmur from her mind said to her.

What if this was the real Rukia Kuchiki, wanting to explain everything to her? What if this wasn't just some kind of stupid prank?

Clutching the letter in one hand, she with some determination, ran back inside of the Tenth Division grounds and without knocking, slammed open the door to the office.

Right to see Toshiro Hitsugaya sitting on his desk shirtless with Ayumi on top of him.

She abruptly stopped and almost tripped over her feet.

Gasping and flushing from embarrassment, Momo saw the baffled couple just sit there, gawking at her.

After what seemed like hours, she sputtered a quick apology and slammed the door shut, sprinting down the hallway until she reached her room.

Clawing the door open, she almost had a heart attack as she saw Rangiku sitting there, an eyebrow raised.

"Sakur-, I mean, **Momo**-chan…Why are you so…upset?

Momo at that moment didn't care that Rangiku was in her room and didn't waste any time at all explaining the letter and seeing the (HORNY) couple.

Rangiku growled, and Momo looked up at her curiously. "W-what's wrong, Ran-chan?"

Rangiku didn't say a word, Momo couldn't know about BTUWHBG!

Finally sighing, Rangiku shook her head.

"Nothing, Momo-chan. But I assure you, everything in that letter is right." She said, looking at Momo.

Momo looked confused. "Well, what am I supposed to do?" She asked.

Rangiku beamed.

"Go shopping with me!"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Ohh…Can we please go home now?" Momo pleaded, trying on the umpteenth dress…Right now, she was trapped in a changing room. Rangiku shook her head from outside the dressing room. "Nope, we have to find the perfect dress!" She exclaimed, having already bought herself a one in the last store.

Momo thought that they were going to be buying groceries and other necessities but Rangiku shoved her inside one of those girly stores and told her that there was a fall festival coming up and was forcing Momo to buy a dress.

Momo groaned, and walked out, now having finally changed back into her normal jeans and t-shirt.

"Fine." She grumbled, crossing her arms, but Rangiku was already gone, almost attacking an employee with questions.

Rangiku came back after a couple of moments.

"Momo! I found the PERFECT one!" She squealed, shoving the dress in front of Momo. Momo raised an eyebrow in curiosity but sighed and clambered back into the dressing room, and after a couple minutes, walked back out to a squealing Rangiku.

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S PERFECT!" She screamed, earning a glare from another shopper.

Momo smiled. "It is." She agreed.

The dress was a deep navy blue color, and had 1 inch straps. The straps were a beautiful white lacy color. The dress ended in the middle of her thighs but it wasn't too short or too long. It was skin-tight until it reached the bottom of her chest and it pooled out slightly. There was a band of lace wrapped the bottom of the dress. All in all, it was beautiful.

"I love it, Rangiku!" She said, smiling happily…Until she saw the price tag.

"Crap, its 200 bucks!" She exclaimed in distress. There was no way she could conjure up 200 dollars like that, actually speaking of which...She was totally broke.

Rangiku sighed and patted Momo's head.

"Momo, Momo, Momo," She drawled out, shaking her head. "If you knew how much extra money we Captains and Lieutenants were paid, we could buy everything in this entire mall …If you ask me, that dress is kind of cheap."

Momo just stood there, mouth agape as a fish out of water, looking at her like she was some kind of freak.

Without waiting for an answer, Rangiku snatched up the dress and ran to the paying counter. Momo followed her. That was still a lot of money and Momo was determined to pay it all back to Rangiku.

After putting the dress in a bag, the employee handed Rangiku the bag and the strawberry blonde smiled, before grasping Momo by the hand and yelling, "TO THE SHOE SHOPS!"

Momo gawked in horror, trying to get away, and laughing as Rangiku started tickling her.

**The Next Day:**

At 1 in the afternoon, Momo walked into Hitsugaya's office, this time remembering to knock. At the muffled, "Come in," She stepped inside and flushed pink as she remembered yesterday's events.

Hitsugaya seemed to be thinking the same thing as his cheeks burned slightly.

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly, sitting on his desk and signing paperwork with the speed of an experienced accountant.

She replied, "Um, I want to know what this whole 'Fall Festival' is about because everybody seems to be going crazy about it and Rangiku-chan isn't here."

Sighing in annoyance, the Tenth Division Captain fought the urge to bang his head against the table.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish Matsumoto **was** here…" He grumbled.

Momo just stared at him.

Running a hand through his tousled tresses, he began explaining to the young peach.

"So, the fall festival, is kind of like how in the World of the Living, how do you say it..? Oh, _Halloween_. Except instead of dressing up in stupid costumes, it's a masquerade. Now, the only thing about it is, it's at night. You have to stay up all night and party until morning, and it starts when the clocks chime midnight." He said, speaking with a twinge of exasperation.

Rangiku had gone shopping with Rukia and wasn't here right now. But the busty lieutenant did tell him that Sakura was going to meet up Rukia later. And "Sakura" was the girl's real name, but he'd heard from Matsumoto that she liked to be called, "Momo Hinamori." This was really weird, because people usually didn't have two names, but she'd then explained that she was from two different families and was adopted three times and she had four stepdads and six grandpas who were apparently all gay lovers or something and she inherited her names from different sides of the family…

Really confusing.

"So, Hinamori, there is a huge center of the city, and it's the main dancing area. You know, for sappy couples and stuff." As soon as he said this, he could've sworn he heard her mutter something along the lines of "Like you and Ayumi?" But he brushed it off.

"Around the edges of the dancing area, there are millions of stands and little shops for people to look at and they basically have everything. About a mile from the main area, there's also a lot of amusement rides…A really popular one is called "The Tunnel of Love" it's in an actual cave, that's about a mile long and couples go in and there are all sorts of stuff that's supposed to "challenge their relationship." As he finished explaining this, he scoffed.

"Have you ever been there?" Momo asked, raising an eyebrow.

This time, he snorted.

"Of course not! That's just some money-sucking crap, but Ayumi wanted to go, and you have to make reservations, too." He said, crossing his arms.

Momo shrugged. _So I guess he is going…?_

"Alright, I guess. Thanks for telling me, Toshirou."

With this, she left the room.

It took Toshiro a couple of minutes to finally notice that she didn't call him Taicho—actually, she didn't even call him by his last name.

Some prodigy, eh?

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Their reunion had been long and sweet. Momo had actually started crying and could've sworn she saw something wet in Rukia's eyes as they hugged for the first time in years.

After grabbing some lunch (making the Kuchiki chef chop up some sushi for them) and eating it, they went upstairs to the confidential room of Rukia's.

Thus, with Rangiku swearing not to tell anyone, Momo began her story.

About how she escaped, how Toshiro saved her, how she woke up in the hospital, the fact that she doesn't know why Ayumi hates her, and seeing them make out in the office the day before.

"Ew…" Rangiku whined, "This news if almost like failure to the BTUWHBG Association!"

Rukia laughed lightly while Momo tilted her head in confusion.

"What's BTW-something?" She asked, slightly perplexed.

Rangiku immediately clamped her mouth shut.

"No, n-noootthing! Nothing at all!" She said, waving a hand nonchalantly. Momo raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. Even from her brief time with them, she had gotten accustomed to Rangiku's weird mood swings.

"And Momo, I swear, I will not speak of this to anyone." Rangiku added in, somewhat solemnly. Momo nodded.

But then Rukia glanced at the clock and almost cried.

"RANGIKU! IT'S ALMOST 8 ALREADY!"

At this Rangiku looked like she was going to die.

"WE ONLY HAVE FOUR HOURS TO MAKE HER LOOK _PRETTY_?" She gasped, jumping up like a ninja.

"W-what?" Momo stuttered, looking at the two girls as if they were freaks.

"Rukia, quick! Get her in the tub, I'll bring over my BTUWHBG Squad and they'll work on her while we're getting ready!" She commanded, sounding almost like a fukutaicho.

"Wait, _what_?"

"No explanations, Momo! To the Tub-Mobile!" Rukia cried, grabbing Momo's arm and dragging her into the bathroom.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

An hour later, Momo was beyond pissed off. She would smell like roses for a decade now.

"Really, Rukia?" She groaned, wanting to slap the raven-haired girl. Rukia merely laughed, though it sounded more like a cackle. They were both in Rukia's bathroom right now, Rukia having finally let Momo out.

"The Fall Festival is supposed to be awesome, and I haven't been once," Momo murmured. Rukia merely shrugged and then instructed Momo, "Hey, go put on that dress Ran-chan bought for you, the team will be here in a moment to help you."

Not wasting another moment, Rukia thrust the navy dress into Momo's shocked arms and shoved the petite brunette into the bathroom.

Turning on her cell phone (Verizon, baby!) she quickly dialed in a familiar number.

"Hey, Rangiku? Yeah, she's putting it on now. Um, I think I have some black flats she could use. Uh-huh. What about Hitsugaya-taicho? And the masks? Great. And Ayumi? Perfect." Rukia grinned slyly and clamped the phone shut.

Scurrying to her closet, Rukia took out her own dress.

"Huh…I wonder what Ichigo will be wearing."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Rangiku smirked. This was working out exactly as planned. Ayumi was already half-drunk and set loose onto the streets of Sereitei (with the help of Kyoraku) and Toshiro looked amazing in the new tux she bought him.

This was going to be perfect.

Yanking out her cell phone (Verizon AGAIN!) she wondered briefly what she would do without it and sent a message to Isane, Unohana, Yoruichi, and Nanao.

With no doubt of anything going wrong, Rangiku scurried to her room and quickly changed into her own dress.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Rukia laughed; a high tinkling sound that resembled the sound of bells.

"So, what do you think, Momo-chan?" She asked, spinning around so that Momo could see the entire dress. Smiling, the brunette replied, "It looks great on you! I love the colors!"

And yes, Rukia's dress was gorgeous.

The dress was a deep violet that matched her eyes. The dress had sleeves that went off the shoulder and had a band right below her chest. It flowed down to her knees and Rukia looked very content with it.

Momo raised an eyebrow.

"Let me guess, it's that Ichigo guy, right?"

Rukia almost choked in shock.

"H-how'd you know?"

"Rangiku-chan told me and besides," Momo said, "It's obvious."

Rukia shrugged and then suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

"The team is here, finally!" She squealed and that earned a confused face from Momo.

Rukia beamed.

"Oh, you'll see."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Two hours and forty-five minutes later, Momo was ready to stab anyone who came within five feet of her.

The "team" which consisted of Unohana, Isane, Yoruichi and Nanao had spent the last two hours curling her hair and layering so much makeup, when she glanced in the mirror, she didn't recognize herself.

Her long brown hair was ripped of its usual bun and was layered into wavy curls by Nanao and Isane. Yoruichi did her makeup and Unohana didn't stay very long, seeing as she was a Captain and such.

Rangiku gave high-fives to everyone the second she saw Momo.

They did a pretty good job on the ex-slave.

"Alright, thanks everybody!" She announced, clapping her hands.

"The festival is in two hours, go get ready!"

Then turning to Rukia, she whispered, "We signed up Taicho and Momo for the Tunnel at the same time right?"

Rukia nodded, her hair moving with her and replied, "Yeah, it'll be 30 minutes after midnight. Um, I think the only other people going are me and Ichigo and someone else. There can only be six people in a one-hour ride. I don't know who the other people are, but it won't matter."

Rangiku smiled.

Oh, yes. Getting Toshiro together with Momo was going to be a piece of cake.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Please review and I will love you forever!**


	10. Sousuke Aizen

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 10– **

"_Sousuke Aizen"_

The festival was as loud as hell and the white-haired prodigy grimaced, though no one could see underneath his black mask. People were covering every inch of the courtyard, some looking drunk, others confused, but they all had giant, almost creepy grins plastered on their faces.

Plus, it didn't help that he was wearing a western style tux either. A couple girls stopped what they were doing to glance at him, hearts in their eyes, as he walked by, some winking and blowing kisses at him. If they actually knew who he was (curse the masks) they wouldn't dare do that.

And a couple guys, (presumably gay) also waved, throwing a couple smirks at him.

It was so damn annoying.

And another bad thing…?

"Hey, Toshiro…" A drunken Ayumi giggled lightly, clutching his arm as he dragged them through the large crowds. Someone stepped back and crashed into his back, he glared at them, but they didn't take heed. Suppressing the strong urge to curse, he muttered back, "Yeah?"

"My butt itches."

"That's…great."

"Can you scratch it?"

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"Rangiku!" The brunette laughed lightly. "This is so awesome; do you guys have festivals like this often?" Beside her, Rangiku grinned.

Everything was perfect. The game and food stands, the lighted decorations, the music and entertainment, the beautiful weather—everything and anything planned for the festival had gone according to plan, and everybody loved it.

The scenery was wonderful with the tall, sturdy, and beautifully-colored trees, and the whole area was like a painting expressing the beauties of the fall season. It was a masterpiece, and nobody who came here regretted that they were here. Smiles were genuine and the happy laughter of crowds fueled the Shinigami body to doing their absolute best—and boy, was it worth it.

It almost looked like it was ripped out of a magazine, the trees were on fire with their gorgeous leaves and it was hard to tear your eyes away from them.

As for a certain midget and strawberry? Ichigo and Rukia had ditched them earlier, saying that they would be "back in a minute."

Apparently their "minute" was almost half an hour.

Momo was wearing her dress, with a matching turquoise mask of course and Rangiku was wearing an _extremely_ short red one. It was strapless and clung to her skin, but pooled out slightly near her thighs.

Momo had often wondered how someone could walk in a dress like that, without flashing half the world.

Rangiku beamed as she looked at a super content Momo. "Hey, it's almost 12:30 and we made reservations to an _amazing_ ride."

Momo furrowed her brow. _The only ride that needs reservations is…_

But before she could ponder about it any longer, the busty lieutenant had already dragged her half-way down the festival.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

The lieutenant's eyes burned in fury as she heard the other person speak on the phone.

"What do you mean he's gone back to the office? The ride starts in a minute!"

"_I don't know! Ayumi got drunk and the next thing we knew; he dragged her back to the division!"_ Rukia's annoyed voice flowed through the phone and Rangiku groaned, resisting the urge to stomp on the cellular device.

"Shit!"

Momo and Rangiku were at the entrance of the Tunnel of Love right now, and Ichigo and Rukia were racing to get back there in time.

Throwing a curious look at the fuming blonde, Momo raised her eyebrows in confusion. "What was that all about?" The brunette asked, but Rangiku just shook her head, sighing. "It's…nothing. Um, look, Rukia and Ichigo will be here soon."

Unsure, Momo simply nodded.

There was nobody else except for a miserable-looking employee in a red polo, standing in front of the monstrous cave.

The Tunnel of Love was huge. It stretched about a mile long inside and there were some obstacles where you had to _swim_ under. You had to wade through most of it because of the water, and they provided a flimsy, feeble canoes for couples. The water started as a small stream, and it flowed into the cave and onto who knows here.

Sounds safe, right?

And, legend says that no couple has ever reached the end, except for two people. But the good thing is, they were given flashlights that were equipped with panic buttons. If somebody freaked out and pressed them, employees would escort them out.

Stars lined up the sky and the forest surrounding the cave was eerily quiet.

"_Hey, Rangiku. It doesn't matter. He's not coming. Ichigo and I are here, okay, so bye." _Her voice resounded with utter defeat.

Not even giving a chance for Rangiku to reply back, the raven-haired girl had already cut off their conversation. Growling, Rangiku snapped her phone shut when the employee with a nametag that said, 'Hi my name is Ryan.' approached them.

"Hey you two young ladies," Ryan suddenly said. Whirling around to face him, both girls had curious glances on their faces.

"Here's your brochure and flashlight."

He handed them to Momo, but Rangiku refused the other saying that she hadn't signed up.

Peeling the white piece of paper open, Momo read the contents with Rangiku peering over her shoulder.

_Welcome to the Tunnel of Love._

_This is a tradition of Soul Society, an old ancient one. It has been going on thousands of years, and now it is your turn to see the legend._

_Five-thousand years ago, a young couple, Hana Aiko and Akiro Miki, found this cave. They explored it, until they had memorized every single passageway. But, suddenly, one afternoon when they were climbing through it, the entrance collapsed._

_They both died because they could not find the way out, and couples to this day say that they can still hear their screams._

_Can you find the end?_

Momo shivered, actually kind of scared whereas Rangiku snorted.

"That's some _sappy_ bullshit!"

Momo looked up at her with wide eyes. How could the busty lieutenant be so fearless?

"Um…But what happens if we do get stuck in there?"

"Momo, that's just crap they're trying to make you think, okay?"

"Err…Sure."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

True to her word, Rukia and Ichigo appeared almost from thin air a minute later.

The eerie employee spoke again. "You may now enter the cave. You have two hours to find the end and in two hours, one of our employees will escort you out." He said it in a strange way, almost as if he _didn't_ want you to get out.

Creepy much?

"C'mon, Ichigo. Let's get going." Rukia said to Ichigo who then snapped back, "Don't tell me what to do, midget!"

This earned a resounding slap.

Momo bit her lip as they stepped into their canoe, both shouting insults at each other and Rukia tackling Ichigo down for calling Chappy ugly.

It was hilarious.

_But_…the young peach peered around. _Who am I supposed to go with?_

"Rangiku-chan," She said to her friend, "Who am I supposed to go with?" She repeated the question she had thought to herself.

The said blonde shrugged. "I'm not sure."

But their question was solved as a few moments later, a tall-looking man walked down the path to the cave. The employee handed him a brochure and a flashlight as well. The young man seemed shy and nervous.

"Hey, um, I guess I'm stuck with you?" He laughed as he walked towards them.

He had a head full of glossy curly brown locks and a sweet smile underneath his mask. Donned in a pair of slacks and a polo with a tie, he seemed really genuine. And it didn't help that he was strikingly handsome.

Momo felt her cheeks flush scarlet.

"S-stuck with?" She stuttered and this brought another heartbreaking smile from the man.

"My apologies, miss." He replied. Momo's face turned three shades darker.

"It's alright."

Behind her, Rangiku gave her a sly grin and a thumbs up before mouthing, _He's HAWT! _

But the worst part was, Rangiku decided to ditch her. "Hey, Momo, I gotta go! I have to party and drink as much sake as I can before the nights over!"

"W-wait! Rangiku-chan!"

But the lieutenant acted like she didn't hear and ran up the path as fast as her feet (in high heels) could take her.

"Um-shall we go then?" Asked Momo nervously. He nodded, and replied, "What is your name again? I just heard your friend say it."

"Oh." Momo bit her lip, cursing herself for being such an idiot and blushing so much.

"Momo Hinamori, and you are?"

The attractive man replied, "Sousuke Aizen. Please to meet you."

He offered her his hand, which she gladly took and they began walking towards the Tunnel of Love.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Sorry about the short chapter! Still trying to re-write this entire thing...**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Mr Wonderful

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 11 – **

**"_Mr. Wonderful"_**

**Previously…**

_"Um-shall we go then?" Asked Momo nervously. He nodded, and replied, "What is your name again? I just heard your friend say it."_

_"Oh." Momo bit her lip, cursing herself for being such an idiot and blushing so much._

_"Momo Hinamori, and you are?"_

_The attractive man replied, "Sousuke Aizen. Please to meet you."_

_He offered her his hand, which she gladly took and they began walking towards the Tunnel of Love._

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Momo was really scared. Really scared. She bit her lip apprehensively as she glanced at the dark surroundings of the cave; nervously scanning surrounding areas with her toy of a flashlight as the little canoe meandered on, slowly pushing against the water.

Sitting across her on the boat, Sousuke chuckled gently in amusement.

"Are you alright, Miss Hinamori?"

Releasing her white-knuckled death grip on the side of the canoe, she managed a shaky, breathy laugh that didn't convince anyone, and certainly not Aizen Sousuke.

"I'm…fine, really. Please, call me Momo."

The chestnut haired man nodded. "Then I suppose I'm Sousuke to you." He smiled again and Momo kind of wished he would stop doing that so she could stop swooning but he did and she fan-girled hard. She figured that if her face was going to be apple-red the entire night, she might start losing function in her toes.

It wasn't right for _anybody_ to be that pretty. It just wasn't fair—to the general male population or for the female inhabitants of earth.

_Toshirou too—he shouldn't be that pretty either._

Momo's eyes widened a little bit in shock. _Did I just think that? No, no, no, I didn't._

The cave itself resembled nothing of love. Momo figured that the two lovers who had gotten stuck here must have been mental. The cave was absolutely not romantic. It was dank and humid. All of Rangiku and Rukia's hard work went to waste as she could practically **feel** her hair poof up, due to the moisture in the air. And why were they so eager to stick her here anyways? She had not been in Sereitei _that_ long…

Their canoe abruptly jerked to a stop and Momo shrieked out loud, instinctively reaching for something to hold onto.

Aizen managed a strangled choke as the brunette clasped her hands around his arm. She had a _serious_ vice-hold for such a little thing…

Realizing what she had done, Momo gasped and released him, muttering apologies all over the place as her face burned red hot. Aizen simply patted her on her head, blatantly accepting her forgiveness, and Momo flushed even darker, if that was possible.

Sousuke carefully clambered to the head of the boat, looking at what stopped them.

"Ah…it seems our first obstacle is upon us."

Momo tilted her head in confusion until he flicked his wrist, flashlight in hand, at the giant log that blocked their way. A wave of nausea hit her as the complications of their "test" dawned.

"I believe this is the part where we have to swim, Momo."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

He gingerly stepped over the side of the boat, grunting as he splashed into the dark, musty, water. It was deep—deep for her at least. The water hit his shoulders and her head only came to his chest or so. Momo once again cursed her short stature. She did not live this long only to drown.

"It's okay, Momo." He said, but she backed up from the water's edge.

"I'm not that great of a swimmer, Sousuke…" She murmured. _Yeah, and you can actually stand—I'll flap like a drunk hippo. But then again, a hippo can swim a thousand times better than me. _

He didn't lose patience, so that enough shocked Momo. Toshirou would have yelled and told her to 'please get down here right now goddamnit.'

Merely, he just held out his arms.

The young peach blanched, her face was as ghastly white as a porcelain china plate.

She tried to find any excuse not to jump, but then realized—her dress! Her $200 dress would go to complete waste!

As if expecting it, Sousuke muttered something under his breath, and a light enveloped around her. She stood still in shock.

"It would be such a shame for your dress, so I just used a light incantation," He laughed, "Though I should've thought of the same for myself before I plunged in."

Momo offered a slight smile and nodded, though somewhat skeptical. Only Shinigami were able to do that and Sousuke did not resemble a Shinigami and any way, shape, or form. He was more scholarly. He didn't seem like the type of person to run around with a sword and chopping stuff up.

She braced herself, closed her eyes, and leapt out. He caught her easily, though she was submerged slightly into the murky liquid. To her utter astonishment, the water slid away from her, as if repelled.

"Wow, it actually worked…" She muttered in awe, absentmindedly wondering if she was going crazy or something.

Holding her, Aizen puffed indignantly, acting offended.

"Of course it worked," He joked, "I am a _Captain_ you know!"

Despite herself, Momo laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

"I can't believe Nii-sama's plan didn't work! I must've done something wrong…I have failed him…" A short raven-head complained loudly, perched on the shoulders of a certain strawberry.

Ichigo cursed as he waded through the water, annoyed that his girlfriend was fidgeting so much. He almost tripped on a loose rock as he tried to keep his grip on her legs.

"Rukia," He growled, "If you don't want to plummet straight into this nasty water, I suggest you stop moving."

Rukia continued on, not hearing a single word from the irate orange-head.

"And Hitsugaya-taicho and Momo would make such a cute couple, don't you think so? This is an immense failure on the BTUWHBG!" She groaned in distress.

Then Ichigo pushed her back, and Rukia tumbled into the dark waters with a yelp of protest.

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

They started talking; just chatting about everything and anything. From favorite colors to least favorite types of fruits. Which was extremely weird, but he was pretty and funny and so she didn't mind.

And they laughed a lot, too. Laughed through the corniest jokes and also, to her surprise, the perverted ones that he threw offhandedly with a guilty smirk.

All the while, he carried her above the water, and Momo had asked him on occasion if he had gotten tired yet. His reaction was always the same—a light laugh and a remark about how she should eat more.

Momo was fairly sure that she had gotten somewhat immune to his breathtaking smiles. He had his normal, swoon-worthy smiles that she could look at, blushing only slightly.

But then he had his boyish grins.

And it was all Momo could do not to just throw herself on him.

"So you're friends with Rukia Kuchiki?" Sousuke asked suddenly. Momo nodded. "Yeah, we're really good friends. Sisters, I would like to think."

He hummed in acknowledgement.

It was about that time when they were faced with their second obstacle. Or _her_ second obstacle, to be more precise…

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

Toshirou stopped and stilled. Beside him, Ayumi, who had sobered only very slightly, screamed at the top of her lungs.

Okay, or still drunk as hell.

"It's that _whore_, Toshirou! Look, look, _look!_" She whispered very loudly into his ear. He winced, and then grimaced as her words resounded throughout the cave. His eye twitched…Ayumi was not known for being quiet, especially when she had consumed more than her body weight in sake. (Or in the bedroom, lol)

They were sitting on a little ice float. After they had reached the fallen log, Ayumi had been squirming too much for him to hold her so he just froze a portion of the water and made a little boat. They were both nestled, sitting down comfortably on it, though Ayumi complained often about her sore butt.

It was easier on his part, anyways.

Toshirou had been pretty sure that Ayumi had been hallucinating or muttering drunken nonsense, but it seemed that she was right. The tunnel had two paths that merged into one.

He stiffened and his eyes hardened.

"Aizen," Toshirou greeted the other Captain briskly, nodding at him slightly in acknowledgement.

"Konbanwa, Hitsugaya-taicho." Aizen offered a smile, but it did not reach his eyes. Momo raised an eyebrow in surprise. What was wrong with the two of them…they obviously knew each other.

Aizen turned to Ayumi and smiled, though more warmth reached his chocolate orbs. "Good evening to you as well, Ayumi-san." Momo flinched at the sound of her name.

The white-haired captain scowled, and inched ever-so-slightly in front of Ayumi. The latter who giggled flirtatiously, much to Toshirou's displeasure.

"Heyyy, Aizen-taichoo…!" She drawled out, clutching onto Toshirou's shoulder for support. Momo pursed her lips in wonder, but then figured that Ayumi was too much of a stupid drunkard and probably didn't know that she was calling Aizen a captain.

"I didn't think you were one for such childish games and folly, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"Ah, amusing my darling Ayumi here, of course. I didn't expect you of all people to be here, however. Is there a certain reason why?"

Momo cringed slightly as he called Ayumi "his darling." She didn't deserve the title, whatsoever. And the tension skyrocketed; not to be cliché or anything, but it was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

She sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration.

_Men…and their damn testosterone. _

The sound of water droplets splashing onto the stillness of the cave grew louder, more obnoxious, by the second as Aizen and Toshirou stared at each other, pleasantly—politely, even, if the shockwaves of malice could be hidden by either of them. A sudden chill ran through Momo like a scale played by a master pianist. She had an urge to flee—to get as far away as possible from the stupid cave.

A sudden laugh from the russet-haired man broke the glass, shattering it into pieces. The prodigious captain allowed a smirk and all the while, Momo stared, perplexed and slightly annoyed at the OCD-behavior of the Shinigami. Two seconds ago, they were ready to rip out each other's throats and now they were acting like old friends reuniting?

"I suppose there's a reason why no one has ever found the end of this so-called tunnel before…"

_What…?_

"Precisely why I came—to solve this enigma."

"Dormant, this entire time. But not anymore—I'm surprised the 12th Division didn't notice it earlier…"

"Speaking of which, Kurosaki is in here as well, isn't he?"

Momo straightened from her perch on Aizen's shoulder. "Just what is going on here?" She snapped suddenly, losing all patience.

Sousuke smiled at her with a tranquil air of patience, like a parent soothing a child after a tantrum. "Shh…listen carefully, dear." He whispered.

And she did.

The water dropping from the cave increased, until the sound of pounding rain was heard. Then a screech, a howl, that shocked the little slave girl out of her wits. Her toffee eyes widened and her blood ran cold, her heart refusing to beat as the sound reconciled with memories that she longed to forget.

"A…hollow." She managed to choke out.

Ayumi giggled absurdly, as if a monstrous beast was all that she wanted for Christmas. Momo on the other hand, shoved down a wave of faintness, struggling to stay conscious.

"So," she breathed, "where is it?"

Toshirou smiled. Not a real smile, but a cruel, hard-glinted amused one.

"We're inside of it."

_**~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~**_

**HAHA! I'm back, guys! It's been a reaaaallllllyyy long time, but I'm gonna attempt to update all of my stories in the next couple of days. Cause spring break is amazing. Or I might just sleep, you never know. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! And follow, like, all that good stuff. The more you guys do, the more I do~**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Belly of the Beast

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 12 – **

**"****_Belly of the Beast"_**

**Previously…**

_"So," she breathed, "where is it?"_

_Toshirou smiled. Not a real smile, but a cruel, hard-glinted amused one._

_"We're inside of it."_

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

The water from the cave was still pouring down and Momo shivered—not sure if it was from the icy chill of the water or the blood-curling scream of the Hollow.

It was a few tense moments before she regained the ability to function. She blinked a drop from her eyelashes and exhaled; the temperature in the cave had plummeted and she could see the air escaping her in a mist. Her long brown hair stuck to her face like glue and spread down her back like the roots of a tree.

She shivered slightly and twisted, trying to stay warm. Apparently Aizen noticed, because his arms tightened around her small frame.

"And…why wasn't this noticed before?" She finally said, looking up at her companions. She figured for a system of people who were supposedly so high and mighty—superior enough to dictate who should be slaves and whom were masters—that they'd notice something like a giant, monstrous hollow right in the middle of their home.

Momo tensed as she noticed something; a dark gaze boring holes into her soul. She was afraid to turn, but she already knew who it was. Toshirou's eyes finally flickered away and she turned to glance at him. His white hair had turned into a dark grey from the water, and it was plastered on his face; his clothes clung to him like a second skin and Momo caught herself staring. She turned away with a sprinkle of a blush.

Her gaze drifted towards Aizen. He had pushed his bangs back, giving him a less of a scholarly look and more of a dominating one. She decided that she didn't like that.

Toshirou shrugged nonchalantly and Aizen brightened up immediately, eager to answer her question.

"Well, counting all of us in the cave, there are five captain level shinigami in here—Hitsugaya-kun, Ichigo-kun, Rukia-chan, Ayumi, and I," He explained, straightening his glasses.

"I'm pretty sure we're the first Captains to even come in here…so all of that spiritual pressure probably woke this Hollow up, what I mean by this is, this tunnel has been here for as long as I can remember, and this Hollow has probably just been sleeping for who knows how long."

Momo nodded slowly. Then stiffened abruptly and looked up at the man who had been holding her above the water. "You're a…_Captain_?"

Aizen flinched as if he had been shot and he started chuckling nervously, as if he were a three-year old caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Aha, I suppose I did forget to mention that piece. Forgive me…"

Momo winced inwardly, her face flaming into crimson.

_I've been talking this carefree to a Captain all entire time? Holy cow, what is wrong with me? But it's not like it's my fault, he acts nothing like Toshirou!_

She paused, realizing a similarity between the two of them (not that there were much) and made a mental note to herself: _All men who are extraordinarily hot are Captains. _

"So what do we do now?" She asked, at a lost.

There was a momentary pause before Toshirou spoke up, his voice steady and ringing with authority, "We split up. Whoever gets out first alerts the rest of the squads." His burning turquoise eyes seemed to stare into her soul like underwater flames as he said, "We come back and find everybody. Then we kill this thing."

Momo sunk under his intense gaze and she squirmed uncomfortably.

_What is wrong with him?_

As if it had heard him, the Hollow gave out a thunderous roar and water started pouring from the ceiling. It started filling up the room easily, and their world shook from the earthquake. In a matter of seconds, the water level had risen well above Aizen's chest and he threw her on his shoulder, trying to keep here from drifting away with the increasingly powerful current. Momo struggled in vain, tempted to tell him to just drop her or something but then decided that if he _did_ do that, she would probably die.

"Put her next to Ayumi!" Hitsugaya shouted and before she knew it, Momo was dumped onto the little ice craft. She gave a yelp of surprise as her backside collided with the cold glacier, but it was drowned out from the deafening waves, crashing into them from the skies.

The water level rose, until they were almost up to the ceiling and Aizen had to swim up. He also clambered up onto the ice-craft, gasping for air, completely drenched to the bone.

But their relief quickly disappeared because the waves created by the monster were too much for the tiny ship to handle.

They capsized.

Momo always thought that if she really needed to, she could swim. Like those sad movies when a puppy is abandoned by its master and thrown into a river, but then learns how to swim, prosper, and live happily ever after.

Momo must have been a stupid puppy.

She fought, hard, but the water dragged her down like fingers from the grave, unrelenting in its grip. Her lungs screamed for breath as she kicked and clawed at the waves desperately. Her efforts were in vain, however, as she noted with despair, she was still sinking.

Panic seized her and she jerked and twisted, struggling, but unable to reach the surface.

Momo wasn't really sure how long it took but she was starting to run out of air. Blackness tinged the edges of her vision and her chest burned with agony. She gave one final shove but still could not break the surface. Terror consumed her as she realized that she was actually drowning, but her oxygen-deprived body couldn't keep up with her thoughts. At last, she ran out of energy and her eyes fluttered.

She drifted down.

The last thing she remembered was hitting the rocky bottom of the cave.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

Turquoise eyes narrowed dangerously.

Patience was all but gone.

It had been an _hour_. 60 minutes. 3600 seconds.

Quite long in Toshirou's opinion.

He poked the lump with a stick he'd found. The lump didn't move. So, he poked it again. And again. Finally, it showed signs of life.

"Mrrghhhh…"

He smiled triumphantly; an evil gleam shone in his eyes. Toshirou came to the conclusion that the girl was, essentially, pathetically useless and was prone to passing out in times of danger. Crouching down, he parted matted brown hair to reveal an ear and in that ear he whispered—

"Wake the hell up, _baka_!"

—Yelled, actually.

Shrieking for her life, Momo awoke, a zombie back from the dead. Her hair was frazzled and knotted, her eyes bloodshot and wild. She was absolutely petrified and confused. She jolted up. Her hand flew forward and smacked, _hard_, against Toshirou's pale face, leaving a smarting life-size handprint.

She screamed again and dove for cover.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

"Hinamori…"

No answer.

"_Hinamori_…"

No answer.

"Hinamori, dammit, _get the hell out of there right now_…!"

Momo shook her head fervently, hidden in a crevice between two walls. After she accidentally slapped him (the evidence was still apparent on his face) he threatened to stab her guts and she crawled into an inaccessible crack in the wall. He hadn't meant it, of course, but she didn't know that.

"You said you would kill me!" She snapped, refusing to budge from her fetal position.

A pause.

"I was _joking_, okay? So you can come out now."

"I really don't believe you."

He was about to slam his head against one of the walls. He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply, trying in vain to fight off a pounding migraine. The hole she had burrowed into was a very tiny crack in the wall and he couldn't fit through to drag her out of it. Otherwise they wouldn't even be _having_ this conversation.

He sighed again, pulling from his small reserves of patience, "…I promise I will not kill you."

A tiny hand poked through the crevice, its pinky finger extended in the air.

Toshirou looked at it curiously.

"What the hell?"

"Pinky-promise."

His eyebrows hit his hairline when he realized just what it meant. "What? No, _no_. That's stupid and childish."

"Then I won't leave."

He ran a hand through his tousled snowy hair. His reputation and pride were about to suffer some serious damage. Mentally calculating what exactly he would lose from this besides some seriously bruised ego, he sighed in defeat.

"Fine, dammit."

He interlocked his pinky with hers. She shook her hand twice and he fought off a grimace.

Momo slowly emerged from the hole like a turtle from its shell.

He glanced at her with the narrowed eyes of death itself. "This is what I get for saving your life." He muttered dryly, crossing his arms impatiently.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

_Breaking the surface of the water for a breath, Toshirou gasped before taking a breath and diving back in._

_Ayumi…where are you?_

_His teal eyes scanned the water like a hawk, but to no avail. He couldn't find her. He fought against the crushing waves for a few more minutes before his lungs screamed for air and he shot up, a dolphin breaking the wave, inhaling, and diving back under._

_Searching desperately, he noticed a small human figure nestled in a crook between rocks. It was too small to be Aizen. His mind raced to conclusions, forgetting completely about the fact that Ayumi was an apt swimmer and forgetting about a certain slave girl._

_He scrambled down, grabbing her and pulling her to the surface with a grunt of effort. He spotted for a reprieve anywhere in sight and noticed a bend in the cave where the water was slowly withdrawing—there! Next to it, a few inches above the water level, was an entire unknown section of the cave. But most importantly, the water had yet to penetrate it._

_Without another thought, Toshirou fought for the reprieve, carrying the girl with him. The upsurge of water reached for him with greedy, grasping fingers, but he pushed back ferociously. Finally reaching the enclave, he threw the girl unceremoniously on it, before heaving himself onto it, gasping for breath the entire time._

_"Ayumi, Ayumi…are you alright?"_

_She didn't answer and he crawled next to her, parting the dark hair the blocked her face._

_His eyes widened, teal orbs a small dot on a blank white page._

_"Hinamori…"_

_He fought down the wave of disappointment that threatened to drown him and assured himself that Ayumi was okay. _

_He glanced down at Momo. Her face was blue and her lips were purple, resembling nothing of her usual blushing face._

_She looked dead._

_And he quickly realized that she wasn't breathing. A quick check confirmed that her pulse was next to nothing, waning without oxygen to support her._

_"Dammit." He murmured. He knew he had no time to debate whether to just let her die or save her—yet again._

_"I'm just doing this to save her life." He decided._

_And he breathed the life back into her, quite literally. _

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

Ayumi wasn't really sure what happened. All that she knew was that she was clinging to a side of the cave—or hollow-thing as the water threatened to drown her before it gradually ebbed away and she found Aizen wandering around. So, of course, she chased after him and he welcomed her with a charming remark and open arms. Then they just started walking around with her trailing behind him slowly.

"Aizen-taicho?"

The captain stopped walking and turned around, smiling at Ayumi.

"Yes?"

She paused, obviously sobered up and glanced around nervously before replying.

"Do you know where we're going?"

A silence encompassed the cave; a few droplets were heard, crashing down into the receding waters.

"Of course, I made this Hollow myself." He smiled again.

She chuckled nervously. "Aizen-taicho, you're really funny."

His face became as serious as death.

"Oh, I'm not joking, Ayumi-san. But you see," He said, pulling out a Zanpaktou out of nowhere.

"Nobody should know that."

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

**I feel like this chapter was a load of crap. Sorry for the reaaaalllllyyyyy long wait, guys, but now since its summer, hopefully I'll be updating more often. **

**THANKS FOR READING I LOVE YOUR FACES(:**


	13. Lost in Translation

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Bleach, I swear!**

**_Special thanks to: KaitoKaren, starninja3395, ResidentEvilChris, hailey-shiro, RomanticNEKO, Vegetable lov3r, toshiluver123, IcePeachWatermelon, and squirtlepokemon215 for reviewing! _**

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

**Slaved Savior © hitherelovely**

**Bleach © Tite Kubo**

**Chapter 13 – **

**"****_Lost in Translation"_**

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

She knew they were lost; this much was obvious. She just figured that because he was a captain he would know what to do in any type of situation. But then again, being lost in a giant hollow wasn't exactly typical and they sure didn't teach you about that in the Academy.

Momo panted heavily and paused, clutching onto the wall beside her. They had been walking around for hours now. Toshirou seemed determined on finding the whereabouts of his girlfriend, after muttering something about being unable to detect both Ayumi and Aizen's reiatsus for some time now.

_Maybe they had found a way out and were on their way with a squad of rescuers?_ She wondered hopefully. It would be great if that were the case.

She was tired, hungry, and her feet felt like lead, dragging with each step. She refused to ask for a break because she was stubborn like that and Toshirou kept on charging forward like a hunting dog, refusing to give up. She absentmindedly wondered what time it was.

The brown haired girl trudged on, trying to draw from whatever reserves of stamina she had left. Her dress, heavy with water, as the incantation Aizen placed disappeared hours ago, was dragging her down and she longed to change into a warm pair of pajamas and sleep for a century.

And she would, if she wasn't stuck in a giant hollow.

The beast let out another blood-curling roar and she winced. It had been doing that quite often now and she still had yet to get used to it. Every time its unearthly howl would fill the cave, it would send vibrations crawling through the stifling air; she had to fight the urge to scream every time because that helped nobody and it certainly pissed off a certain taicho.

Momo pulled herself up onto a small slope, not even looking where she was walking, and nearly shrieked as she hit something solid.

Glancing up quickly, she realized that she had run straight into said captain.

Muttering apologies and blushing profusely, she stepped back down. She expected him to continue walking and was slightly surprised when he spoke.

"I'm saying this to prepare you—I don't think we'll be able to get out."

He had said it so quietly; she didn't think that she had heard him. It took several tense moments for his words to register in her mind. At first, she thought he was kidding but realized that in the short time that she knew him—he never joked around about anything.

She didn't know what to say. He was a CAPTAIN for goodness sakes! It wasn't her job to console him. But a glance at his face made her double take.

He looked so…

Sad.

Lost, desperate, hopeless—every word that could possibly be related to sadness or despair.

She fought for words of encouragement to give him. Anything that could shine a light of hope on his hardened scowl.

But she couldn't think of anything.

Not a single word.

So she didn't say anything. She just stood there, cursing herself for being so helpless and wallowing in self-pity. The water started to sprinkle again, the droplets hitting the rocks resounded in the cave.

"We've been in here two days now," He murmured, "Two."

Momo took a step back in shock. Two days? Impossible…absolutely impossible; it had to be a couple hours at the most.

"I can tell, because right now, according to my watch, it's 23:00 and it's been two days," He ran a hand through his hair, "Somebody would have noticed by now but they either haven't, which is ludicrous, or they can't get to us," He said softly, "And basically, if the entire Gotei 13 can't blast their way into this Hollow, we will not be able to get out."

The words took a while to sink in.

Momo looked at the ground.

Wordlessly, they proceeded on their way.

Not that it really mattered.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

"Taicho," Rangiku muttered irritably, crossing her arms, "You've been really…_lazy_ these last couple of days."

She glanced with narrowed eyes at her Captain. He was dead asleep at his desk, white tufts of hair sticking from under his arms. Surrounding him, were giant mountains of paperwork. Rangiku pursed her lips. There had to be something wrong with him; hell would probably freeze over before he let that much work be undone. It had also been a while since he had yelled at her, which was another red flag.

She walked over uneasily towards him. Did something happen in the Tunnel of Love? He'd been acting strange since then. Did Kurotsuchi inject him with something?

"Taicho…?" She shook his shoulder lightly. He groaned in response and Rangiku rolled her eyes. _Well, at least he's not dead._ She punched his arm, none too gently, and he stirred, letting out a mangled "ow."

He finally woke up from his zombie slumber and looked curiously at her. His turquoise eyes were glazed over from sleep and is hair was even more unruly than it usually was. "Rangiku…whad'ya want?" He mumbled sleepily. The strawberry blonde's eyebrows shot to her hairline and her mouth grew slack.

He had called her Rangiku. He _never_ called her Rangiku. It was always "Matsumoto, do your damn paperwork before I freeze your ass to this chair!" or "There had better not be any stockpiled sake in my office, Matsumoto!"

She was _Matsumoto_—to him. Not _Rangiku_.

She walked slowly away from him. He was probably just sleepy, and it was most likely a slip of the tongue—she had been trying to get him to refer to her as Rangiku for years…but she had to make sure. "Hey, taicho. Do you remember where we first met?" She asked slowly. Nobody else knew this about him, because he always got so embarrassed by it. Toshirou looked confused momentarily. "Y-yeah, of course. Er, the old Captain disappeared or something and I got promoted. We met in here, when I was assigned as the 10th Division taicho."

Rangiku's breath was knocked out of her. This wasn't…her Captain. She forced a smile onto her lips. "Yeah, yeah, right. I just wanted to check and see if you were okay." She offered breezily, slowly backing out of the office. Toshirou nodded sleepily and slumped back to sleep.

That was when she turned and ran.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

Rukia woke up in the middle of the night to insistent pounding on her door. She furrowed her eyebrows; it was in the middle of the night, who could possibly…?

She trudged warily to the door, sliding it open.

Confusion clouded her face.

"Rangiku?"

Said lieutenant was slumped over, holding her door and gasping for breath. _She must've shunpo-ed all the way from the 10__th__ Division…_

The raven haired girl quickly ushered her friend inside the Kuchiki manor, half-heartedly wondering why the guards hadn't attacked Rangiku the moment she stepped onto the manor grounds. Her question was answered in several moments; the door to her room burst open and her brother waltzed in, bunny slippers and all.

Rukia helped Rangiku to a cushion on the floor by the table, assuring that the tea would be ready soon, before turning to her brother.

"Nii-sama…what's going on?" Her violet eyes were obscured in uncertainty and she shuffled her feet nervously.

Byakuya replied, "I do not know, Rukia. Matsumoto-fukutaicho ran in several minutes ago, demanding to see you and Hinamori," He paused for a second as if having trouble remembering something, "She also mentioned something about Hitsugaya-taicho." His gaze turned steely, "Find out what you can. It is not like her to be this…distraught."

Rukia nodded and Byakuya walked out slowly, not even noticing that one of his bunny slippers was missing an eyeball. Rukia turned to her friend before she grabbed a teapot and two cups. She set it down on the table, pouring them both a cup of the hot liquid. She handed one to the shaking woman, who took it gratefully.

"Rangiku, what's wrong?"

For the next fifteen minutes, Rangiku explained her story about how it was definitely _not_ Toshirou in the office and Rukia just nodded and kept silent. When she finished, they both sat in silence until something clicked in Rukia's head.

Something that made her blood run cold.

Her eyes widened. Oh, how could she not have noticed?

"Momo," she choked out, "Momo—she's not been the same…either."

The day before, Rukia and Momo had set off to Rokangai for dangos and they always went to this same place, Ichiraku's Dangos, every time. This time, Momo had insisted on going to a newer shop down the street. When Rukia mentioned their tradition of going to Ichiraku's, Momo looked puzzled and stammered something about making new traditions. They ended up going to the place down the road.

"There's something wrong. It's not them." Rangiku murmured, brushing her bangs from her eyes, the way she always did when on the rare occasion that she was thinking hard.

Rukia's eyes lit up and she almost knocked over her tea cup in excitement. "I know. It must have been the Tunnel of Love."

Rangiku nodded. How could she not have noticed? Her Taicho had been acting like a moody, sleepy, teenager since the Tunnel of Love and she had absentmindedly brushed it off as puberty finally starting.

"But we have to make sure," Rangiku noted.

Rukia agreed, "We should go ask Aizen-taicho if he—"

Rangiku cut her off abruptly, "_No_, not Aizen." Her eyes narrowed distastefully. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Yamamoto-soutaicho is retiring. Idiotically, the old man said his choices of promoting the next head captain were between Taicho and Aizen. He also offered some of the older captains, like your brother, Ukitake, and Kyoraku, but they didn't want it. So he basically declared a war between Taicho and Aizen because he's convinced that his captains can do no wrong."

Rukia groaned, cursing herself inwardly for not staying in the cave and keeping an eye on things. She and Ichigo had left the cave fairly early. There was a spider incident…and well, the emergency exit door was just a few feet away.

Rangiku also wanted to smack herself in the face. She had known that the masked man was Aizen, his reiatsu said that much, but she didn't think that he would act against little innocent Momo of all people.

Then it dawned on her.

"Ayumi," she said with a determined gleam in her eyes, "we need to see if Ayumi is okay."

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

Toshirou could hear her struggling behind him and he fought down a wave of guilt. She was a weak little human and they had been walking for quite a while now. It wasn't his fault that they were stuck in here and Ayumi was God knows where. He grit his teeth in frustration. Aizen wouldn't have done something to her, would he? Even though they were both rivals for the Head Captain seat, Aizen seemed like a genuinely nice-hearted guy.

Continuing on, he scanned the wall for any cracks or fissures, anywhere weak he could break through with kidou. A while ago, he had tried everything he knew, blasting electricity, fire, and rocks at the walls. They didn't even dent. He wished he had brought Hyourianmaru.

Toshirou heard a yelp of pain and turned around just in time to see Momo collapse, clutching her ankle.

He sighed in annoyance, but felt that twinge of guilt. Angrily, he banished it from his mind.

Kneeling, he slowly and gingerly touched her hurt ankle and Momo let out a strangled sob. Her ankle was red and black, swollen to twice its size. She probably rolled it or sprained it, he assessed absentmindedly.

He glanced up at her quickly, turquoise eyes met brown ones. She was crying; her nose and eyes were red and puffy. His eyes softened without him even realizing. She looked like a wet mutt, her long brown hair was knotted down her back and her dress was torn and soaked. She was shivering and her breath came out in frosty puffs of air. Momo must've noticed his concerned gaze because she blushed profusely and looked away.

"Are you…oka—" He started, but she cut him off with a vicious glare. She didn't want his sympathy.

"I'm fine." She snapped, trying to appear tough, but her wet cheeks said otherwise.

_No you're not, idiot. _

She staggered slowly to her feet, leaning against the cave wall for support and biting her lip to keep from screaming in pain. Toshirou was surprised—it didn't look like her ankle could take any weight. And he was right. Standing up for a second, she buckled under the pressure and would've kissed the stony rocks if he hadn't caught her.

She gasped in surprise and Toshirou rolled his eyes as he lifted her up like she was his bride.

"L-let me go!" She demanded indignantly, her face as red as an apple.

"So you can fall flat on your face again? No thanks." He replied dryly, holding her as easily as he would a child.

She struggled in vain for several moments before finally accepting defeat. Momo slumped against him tiredly, her head pressed to his chest. His heartbeat was loud and clear, it's rhythm slowly soothing her to close her eyes. She was afraid she might doze off, because that would be embarrassing and if Ayumi ever found out, she would have her head on a platter.

Toshirou walked around, looking for a dry spot and slowly gathering logs. He basically had to kick them because his arms were occupied. Finally setting on a ridge, slightly above any possible water level, he kicked the sticks there and set Momo down on the sand. She snapped awake instantly as he placed her on the ground. She was somewhat disappointed, because he was warm, despite his cold exterior. Bundling the logs in a pile, he murmured "Shakkahou," and a small ball of red exploded from his palm and lit the logs on fire.

Momo blinked in surprise. The next time she went camping, she would be sure to bring along a Shinigami.

The fire warmed her body and she could feel the heat seeping into her bones. She sighed in relief.

Toshirou stood up. "I'm going to get more wood," he said, then in a sterner tone, "Don't go anywhere, idiot."

In a millisecond, he was gone and she was left alone, sulking at his insult. She curled up next to the fire, like a kitten by the fireplace. The fire was warm and she felt her eyelids sliding shut, but her mind couldn't sleep. Angry thoughts stormed her mind and her brain was struggling to process all her questions. Had it really been two days? Time slipped by like water through fingers in the giant Hollow and she shivered, despite the fire. Would they manage to get out? She saw him go at the cave walls with all kinds of crazy Shinigami stuff—what with the fireballs and lightning bolts. If a _Captain_ couldn't get them out of there—who could?

Momo didn't notice, but she had drifted off into a very light slumber. And she woke up to an icy feeling on her ankle. Blinking awake and startled, she opened her mouth to scream, but realized that it was Toshirou touching her ankle. From his hand emitted a light green aura and it felt cool, like fresh fallen snow, against her ankle. Her pain ebbed away and the ankle didn't look as swollen. She looked at him, now wide awake, and she pushed herself up. The fire was still crackling and she noticed a giant stack of wood beside her.

She was mildly impressed and she wondered how he'd manage to haul all that wood back.

Toshirou glanced up at her and almost rolled his eyes. She was an open book; all her thoughts and emotions were easily read. She looked…happy, content, despite the fact that they were stuck in a giant Hollow, death lurking behind basically every corner.

"That's all I can do for your ankle right now. I'm not much of a healer, but it looks a bit better." He remarked casually.

Momo twisted her ankle, testing it out. It still had a purple bruise, but for the most part, it was okay, sending out tiny pangs of pain every time she twisted too far.

"Oh, well, thanks."

She smiled at him gratefully and Toshirou didn't know what surprised him more—how cute she looked or the heat that rushed up to his cheeks.

_Cute? No. You know who's cute? Ayumi, your _girlfriend_! _His conscious hissed in his mind.

She didn't look like a wet mutt anymore. The fire dried most of her soaked clothing and even though the dress was in bad shape, it still looked good on her. Her brown hair was still knotted but it flowed down her back now, instead of clumping.

But what he liked the most was the fact that her face wasn't red and puffy anymore—she had stopped crying and was smiling at him like he just gave her a million dollars or something when all he did was do a simple kidou for her ankle.

He didn't know many high level healing techniques—he had refused a class from Unohana who told him that he might need it one day. He didn't listen and found himself wishing he had.

"Just go to sleep." He said.

Momo nodded and turned her back to him. He knew she had drifted off when he heard her even breathing resound inside the cave. Her quiet, even breaths eventually calmed him and brought him to the realm of unconsciousness.

**_~s.l.a.v.e.d.s.a.v.i.o.r.~_**

**DONE! I tried to add a bit of fluffiness in the end but it was kind of hard and also too early. A lot of you guys have been guessing whether or not Ayumi is dead but I guess you'll see in the next chapter! Please review, favorite, all that awesome stuff you guys do.**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


End file.
